When you’re caring for a loved one it’s the quiet every day tasks that add up. Picking up groceries, keeping the house clean, and everything in between is now on your shoulders. In all of the chaos of taking care of someone else, it is very easy to forget to take care of yourself. Somewhere in all that giving, many caregivers do not notice the signs of caregiver burnout within themselves until they’re running on empty.
At Jewel Place Senior Living we talk with families every week who are further down that road than they realized, and we want you to know there’s a way to catch your breath before it gets the feelings of burnout become overwhelming.
What Are the Signs of Caregiver Burnout?
The signs of caregiver burnout build slowly. It isn’t one bad day. It’s weeks or months of not thinking about your own health while taking care of someone else, until your body and mind start sending signals that something has to change.
Some of the most common signs of caregiver burnout from the National Institute on Aging include:
- Feeling exhausted even after a full night’s sleep, or not sleeping well at all
- Losing interest in hobbies or people you used to enjoy
- Feeling more irritable, impatient, or short-tempered than usual
- Noticeable changes in appetite or weight
- Trouble concentrating or making decisions
- A growing sense of hopelessness, dread, or resentment
- Pulling away from friends and family
Why Caregiving Can Quietly Turn Into Burnout
There is no exact cause that leads to someone displaying any of the signs of caregiver burnout. Two things that tend to drive burnout more than anything else are role confusion and mismatched expectations.
The relationship shifts when you become a caregiver for a loved one. You’re still someone’s family member or friend, but now you take on many responsibilities within their everyday life. Suddenly you’re now the medication manager, communicating with doctors, and their main source of transportation. Even when you love the person you’re caring for, holding both roles is exhausting.
Many caregivers also start out believing they can handle everything themselves. It is easy to say yes to every request, every appointment, every “can you just,” but that adds up fast. Caregiving rarely gets easier by adding more to your plate. The signs of caregiver burnout start when you are overextended, but these feelings become alleviated when you build in real breaks to take care of your own health.
How Respite Care Gives You Room to Breathe
Respite care is sometimes a family member or friend stepping in for an afternoon, or it can be more formal where a professional caregiver comes into the home. Adult day programs let your loved one spend the day somewhere social and supervised while you work or recover. In residential respite care, your loved one stays in a licensed community for a few days or longer while they receive the kind of care they’re used to at home. Respite care isn’t about stepping away from caregiving, it’s about making sure you can keep doing it well.
Respite Care at Jewel Place Senior Living
Respite stays are built for a vacation, a work trip, recovery from a procedure of your own, or simply a weekend to rest before the signs caregiver burnout catches up to you. At Jewel Place Senior Living, your loved one stays under the same physician-prescribed care plan they follow at home with support from our full-time licensed nurse.
Before a respite stay, we sit down with you to complete a short evaluation so our team understands your loved one’s care plan, medications, daily routines, and any appointments that they will need while they’re in our care.
During their stay, your loved one isn’t just looked after. They’re included in the life of the community, with meals, activities, and time to relax in our courtyard or common areas. You can see how our respite care stays working and what the process looks like from evaluation to check-in.
The team at Jewel Place Senior Living is here to help you take a real break when you’re feeling stretched thin. Reach out to our team to talk through what a respite stay could look like for your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs of caregiver burnout?
Common signs of caregiver burnout include ongoing exhaustion, irritability, trouble sleeping, losing interest in things you used to enjoy, and pulling away from friends and family. If several of these sound familiar, it may be worth looking into extra support, including respite care.
How long can a respite stay at Jewel Place Senior Living last?
Every family’s situation is different, so stay lengths are flexible, from a long weekend to a longer break when you need more time. During your evaluation, our team will talk through timing with you and build a plan around your family’s needs.
Is respite care only for emergencies?
Not at all. While we’re glad to help in urgent situations, many caregivers plan a respite stay in advance for a vacation, a busy stretch at work, or simply to rest before the signs of caregiver burnout set in.