How Caregiving Can Lead to Burnout
Caregiver burnout — or total physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion — can strike when you regularly give more than you have and are not getting the help or support you need. It’s a result of cumulative stress. As the Cleveland Clinic notes, caregiver burnout often sneaks up on you because it’s hard to see you’re pushing yourself beyond your limits until you’ve completely run out of fuel.
Caregiver burnout can hurt your ability to care for yourself and your loved one. Many caregivers neglect their health while caring for someone else. According to the AARP/NAP report, 35 percent of caregivers said they put off dental or doctor’s appointments, 33 percent delayed recommended treatment, 31 percent didn’t seek support when sick or injured, and 28 percent neglected to fill their prescriptions.
The American Family of Physicians (AAFP) warns that the stress of caregiving can also lead to a higher risk of developing the following health problems:
Studies like the one published in The Gerontologist show that when health problems are left untreated, you and your care recipient can experience a dip in your quality of life. In rare cases, caregivers could even face their own health crises due to the stress of caregiving.
Caregiver burnout takes a toll on society, too: With more than 650,000 jobs lost and nearly 800,000 caregivers suffering from absenteeism, caregiver burnout costs our economy an estimated $44 billion, according to the Health of America report published in 2021 by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Signs of Caregiver Burnout
According to the MedLine Plus, symptoms of caregiver burnout include:
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Feeling alone or left behind by others
- Frequently feeling tired, worried, or sad
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Gaining or losing a lot of weight
- No longer being interested in activities you used to enjoy
- Easily getting irritated or angry
- Frequent headaches or body aches
- Coping with unhealthy behaviors like smoking or drinking too much alcohol
It’s important to remember that you deserve to be taken care of just as much as your care recipient does.