Issue 52.09
Are you one of the millions of sons or daughters caring for an aging parent in your home? Then chances are that you may be close to being physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted. Especially if you are a member of the “Sandwich Generation” – caring for your elderly parent and your own children at the same time. I know from personal experience caring for my father with Alzheimer’s the abundance of stresses you are living through. Being a caregiver places you in a situation where you may feel physically exhausted, financially drained, emotionally depleted, seldom appreciated, or perhaps even have strong feelings of despair, grief and hopelessness. Often the most frustrating part is that the more time and energy you devote to care giving the greater the progression of your loved ones illness. Therefore, their health continues to decline in spite of all of your efforts. The snowball effect of the endless demands and stresses can eventually result in “caregiver burnout”. Simply put — caregiver burnout is the culmination of physical, mental, and emotional fatigue as a result of accumulated frustration that cannot be resolved. Have you ever felt like just screaming? Holiday times can be the most difficult to endure. Understand that you are definitely not alone, and the best advice that I can give you is to recognize when you are at the point of needing help and then reach out for it.
The key to Caregiver Burnout is how you handle it — some utilize negative methods to deal with stress – using drugs or alcohol, overeating/binging, chain smoking, etc. Others focus on positive methods to counteract their stress – eating healthy & exercising regularly, utilizing relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation, maintaining a strong spiritual life, or just spending quality time with other family members or friends.
Next time I will focus on other options and available resources to help handle caregiver burnout.
At this time, our entire family at BeeHive Cottages wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!