Burnout: Three Signs You’re Burned Out Caring for Your Elderly Mother
You’ve been doing this for so long you can’t remember the last time you had a day to yourself without worry, stress, and pressure.
Looking after your elderly mother has been tough, to say the least. But you don’t want to complain. You don’t want to give her or anyone else the wrong impression. You don’t want somebody thinking you don’t care. That would be the absolute worst thing they could even imagine, so you keep it all inside. This can cause burnout.
The reality is, though, that you are stressed. You, along with tens of millions of other family caregivers in the United States.
Stress can lead to burnout. When you burn out as a family caregiver, that means mistakes can happen. You could have a loss of focus. Or, you might tell your mother you can’t stop by right now, that she has to wait, and if she is dependent on you for mobility, doing laundry, or even preparing a meal, what’s going to happen then?
If you aren’t quite sure if you have reached the point of burnout yet or not, below are three signs that could indicate it’s time to look to home care as an option for help, even if it is only part-time and temporary.
Elderly Care in Deerfield IL: Burned Out
Sign #1: You can’t sleep at night.
Maybe this was a once-in-a-while occurrence but has become much more frequent. If you are struggling to sleep at night, wake up groggy, wake up numerous times throughout the night, and just worrying about your life, your mother, her safety, your job, your family, and so much more, guess what?
You are overwhelmed with stress.
Sign #2: You’re getting angry all the time.
You may normally be a calm and rational person, but you find yourself snapping at the people who are closest to you. Even strangers.
This is totally out of character for you. Whether on the road in traffic, in line at the grocery store, or at home with your spouse, growing children, or others, you seem to be losing your cool way too often.
You are overwhelmed with stress.
Sign #3: You put off visits too many times.
As mentioned earlier, if you suddenly tell your mother you can’t stop by, delay for a couple of hours, or even skip the day just because you can’t handle it right now, that is a clear sign you are overwhelmed with stress.
Look to home care to help alleviate some of the pressure of being a primary caregiver for this senior in your life so you can be ahead of any burnout issues.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Deerfield, IL, call the caring staff at LifeCare Home Health & In-Home Services. Call (888) 606-4199 LifeCare serves all of the Chicago Metro Area.
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