Comments on: Burnout?

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:40:05 +0000

Well… Most of my course work in the MPH program was gerontology classes, so I was well aware of caregiver stress coming into this.

As far as taking care of myself, that’s one of the things my happy doctor and I focused on, since I saw it was going to be an issue. So I know the tricks and tools, and it’s why we’ve actually been taking “real” vacations. But with my mental health history, I’ve realized that I need to be a lot more assertive in getting the down time we need. Problem is that the parts that involve other people are a lot harder to manage that the parts involving just us.

By: WendyB_09

WendyB_09 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:15:17 +0000

Few years ago I worked for a local geriatric center that offered multiple levels of services to the senior population. Caregiver burnout is a very huge concern, even if the person you’re caring for is still fairly independent. It takes a toll on your whole household.

Is there a senior center in your area? Even if you do not need physical help at this point, they have resources for caregivers to help prevent burnout. In other words, they show you how to take care of yourself first so you can take care of your loved ones. And advice on how to ask for help from relunctant other people.

Kudos to your doctor for recognizing the symptoms! Not every doctor would know what to look for. I’d start with the docs office for research resources.

And if you ever need to run away, come on down!

By: Steve Buchheit

Steve Buchheit — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:36 +0000

Even if they’re all hippy skippy and are very active, caregiving is still draining. You have to share your living space, your downtime, your everything. It’s stressful, even in the best of situations.

For me, when you add in that I come from small, worried people stock, it’s even more draining (we don’t have anybody right now, but we’ve done it in the past).

By: kim

kim — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:21:33 +0000

I know this burnout. I know that it is really easy to not be aware of it sneaking up on you. Take the time to really allow yourself time for just you. It is real. Like Janiece said above, ASK FOR HELP.

By: Janiece

Janiece — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:15:40 +0000

You should give yourself permission to address this, up to and including asking for help from other family members when you need it.

In my family, people are always willing to help, but seldom know what to do. The moral of the story, of course, is DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP. (That’s a tough lesson for me, BTW, so I understand if you have trouble doing that.)