When your aging loved one needs care, stepping in to be a caregiver can be an automatic reaction. But when you have children, work, a partner, or other commitments, it doesn’t take long to feel overwhelmed and burnt out. Respite care can be a useful short-term residential care option that allows professionals to take over and give you rest.
If you’re burning the candle at both ends, respite care at Fox Trail Memory Care in South River offers an enriching community for your loved one, a professional team, and activities to make your loved one’s stay reinvigorating for you both.
Signs of Caregiver Burnout
About 1 in 3 adults in the United States are primary caregivers to a loved one. Being a caregiver is gratifying, but dedicating your focus to another person can cause you to neglect yourself. Ignoring your own needs can lead to caregiver burnout. Signs of caregiver burnout can include:
- Feeling anxious or depressed
- Irritability
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Chronic fatigue
- Losing interest in the things you love
- Ignoring your health and getting sick more often
- Changes in appetite, weight, or sleep patterns
- Sensing a lack of control over your own life
How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout
When you feel like you’re struggling to keep on top of things, there are tactics you can do to try to stay healthy, take care of yourself, and prevent burnout:
- Ask for help. If you have siblings, a partner, or friends that can help, being vulnerable and relying on others can be a relief.
- Talk to a professional. A social worker, therapist, or spiritual leader can offer support or coping strategies for you and your family.
- Be realistic. If your loved one has a progressive illness like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, be realistic about your limitations and when to move to assisted living.
- Take care of yourself. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, and get enough sleep.
- Nourish your social life. When you can, meet up with friends, practice your hobbies or join a club, and connect with others to escape feelings of isolation.
- Consider professional care. Respite care at Fox Trail Memory Care in South River can offer a break and lets a professional caregiving team step in, so you can take a holiday, prioritize yourself, and rest.
What Is Respite Care?
Respite care is a short-term residence at Fox Trail Memory Care with comprehensive care. Caregiving and managing a loved one’s care can be an immense responsibility, but sometimes taking a break is the best thing you can do for your loved one.
After surgery, medical procedures, or when they need more attention than usual, respite care and professional caregivers can help when family members feel overwhelmed.
How Can Respite Care Help Caregivers?
Caregivers do a lot, from dispensing medications, maintaining medical equipment, and running errands to cooking meals. The demands placed on a primary caregiver can easily lead to fatigue and burnout. However, respite care is available so you can take a break to recharge and enrich seniors’ lives.
Improve Relationships with Your Family Member
When the younger generation takes care of their parent or grandparent, it can cause the caregiver to adopt a parental role.
Respite care allows caregivers to step out of that role and reconnect with their loved one. By leaving the caregiving to the professionals during respite care, you and your parent can rebuild the parent/child bond.
Grow the Caregiving Team
Caregiving is complex, and one person can’t do it all. For another source of support, respite care offers a professional, trained team to help navigate challenges your loved one may be facing. Professional caregivers may also be able to detect signs of cognitive decline that you may not know to look for.
When Should You Consider Respite Care?
You may feel guilt about seeking support from respite care, but it can be a valuable resource to help supplement your loved one’s care for severe conditions, such as:
- Post-surgery
- Following a stroke
- Dementia or Alzheimer’s
- Vision or hearing loss
- Parkinson’s
- Neurological conditions
Choosing respite care for your well-being will also benefit your loved one. They’ll get to socialize with other residents, make friends, and participate in activities they enjoy. Respite care can help you and your loved one overcome the isolation that caregiving, and needing care, can bring.
Choose Respite Care for Your Loved One
You can never have too many people caring for and supporting your loved one. If you need extra help or your loved one’s needs for care are changing, schedule a visit at Fox Trail Memory Care in South River to meet our team and learn about care options that can suit your loved one’s needs now and in the future.
