chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Instagram Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Phone Icon
Services
Care Coordination
Home Care
Senior Care
Home Nursing Services
At Home Therapies
Respite Care
Home Care FAQ
Transitional Care
Hospice
Bereavement & Grief
Hospice & Alzheimers
Hospice Costs
Hospice Pet Therapy
Special Care Programs
Your Care Team
Specialized Home Care
Patient-Centered Dementia Care
Arthritis
Congestive Heart Failure
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension / Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
COPD
Joint Replacement
Mental Health and Depression
Home Care Support for Multiple Sclerosis
Palliative Care
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Parkinson's Disease
Pediatric Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ventilator Care
Wound Care
Veterans Care
Staffing
Staffing FAQ
COVID-19 Vaccination Staffing
Careers
About Us
COVID-19 Update
Our Standard of Care
Our History
Franchise Leader
Caring Brands International
Press Releases
Honoring Veterans
Historic Milestones
Contact Us
Resources
Home Care Resources
Jobs in Healthcare Guide
Find A Location
Independent Living Assessment
Blog
Franchising
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Caring for The Family Caregiver
Posted: 10/22/2014 10:54 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Learn About The Signs of Caregiver Burnout, and What You Can Do to Help
As a family caregiver, you are most likely to be thinking about other people before yourself. To some extent this is a natural tendency, especially for caregivers. Yet it’s a verified concept that you can’t take care of someone else if you haven’t taken care of yourself first. When you immerse yourself in the care of others with the exclusion of your own care, you find yourself in burnout.
Consider the following news item about family caregiving:
Currently, there is a massive unpaid labor force that is at risk every day because of the care they provide. There are an estimated 44 million Americans age 18 and older providing unpaid assistance and care to older people and adults with disabilities. This means that more than 7% of the United States population is providing untrained, uncompensated care for family members in their communities.
The value of this unpaid labor is estimated to be at $306 billion annually. This is more than double the combined cost of home health care – $43 billion – and nursing home care – $115 billion. More troubling is the fact that nearly one third of caregivers provide intensive care while suffering from poor care themselves.
Aside from being ill-prepared or poorly trained for the rigors of providing care, these 44 million Americans are creating future health problems for themselves. Studies have shown that an influential factor in a caregiver’s decision to place an elderly relative in a long-term care facility is the physical health of the family’s caregiver.
Emotional, mental, and physical health problems trouble caregivers due to the complex situations that often arise from caring for a relative. Employment and even the caregiver’s own immediate family may suffer from taking on the extra burden of looking after a disabled family member or elderly parent.
Unfortunately, the healthcare system has created few improvements for these at-risk caregivers. Families are being asked to shoulder greater care burdens for longer periods of time, with little hope of improvement or financial assistance. Studies have shown that caregivers are also more likely to lack adequate healthcare themselves, creating further healthcare problems. Ultimately, these burdens and health risks create more expensive health care costs and can affect the quality of life for both the caregiver and care receivers.
This knowledge lays the foundation of the importance of time off for the caregiver. Some type of respite is needed, and it is needed on a regular basis. This respite may be available from one or more of a number of sources:
·
Home care
for the elderly
· Family caregivers
· Community senior programs
· Faith community
· Neighbors
No matter where the help comes from, the family caregiver needs it.
If you have an aging loved one and are considering home care services, contact Interim HealthCare today.
G+