If you are a caregiver, take heart. Research into the age-related diseases and deteriorating lifestyles of seniors is ongoing and in step with today's increased life span. If you are a caretaker I am sensitive to your needs--because I, too, am a caretaker. If you are carrying a burden and you are frazzled and close to burnout, you are not alone. This writing will discuss caregiving, burdens, and burnout..
What is Caregiving?
"Caregiving is the act of providing assistance to an individual with whom the caregiver has a personal relationship."[1] This could be a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or some less close relative. Caregiving is not usually undertaken outside of one's family unless it is a paying job.
I am a caregiver to my mother, who is currently 98 years of age. She has had osteoporosis for any number of years. I voluntarily took on her care and have done so for the past 9 years. During that time, she developed cataracts, a bilateral detachment of the retina, glaucoma, and a severe progression of osteoporosis. Both of us carry a burden, but my burden as a caregiver is unlike her burden as a sufferer.
What is a Burden?
"A burden is the strain or load borne by the person giving the care. The giver's perception of the burden determines the impact on his life."[1] Of course, everyone has problems of some kind. People even have similar problems, but how they react to the problem and internalize it differs. What stresses out one does not seem to faze another, but sooner rather than later, all caregivers will feel a pinch and ask in his mind, "Why is this falling on me?"
Make no mistake. It is difficult caring for a person in the home who is an invalid, semi-invalid, or limited in what he can do because of infirmity. If the person is bed-bound and incontinent, the strain can become so tedious for the caregiver that the caregiver's personality completely changes.
Care involves assistance with daily activities of life--bathing, dressing, feeding, hair, and nail care. It may also involve the dispensing of medications or giving treatments of some type. There are appointments to be kept with hair dressers, podiatrists, and various doctors. Laundry and ironing must be done, bed linens changed, grocery shopping tended to, and prescriptions refilled. AND, the person must be provided with some means of daily entertainment other than sitting in an easy chair and looking out of a window. This is a short list, and it can lead to burnout for the caregiver.
