If your employees are managing eldercare responsibilities alongside their day-to-day role, they could be experiencing caregiver burnout as a result.
Caregiver burnout is when you are at least part-responsible physically, emotionally, or financially for somebody else and you find yourself in a state of complete exhaustion because of those responsibilities.
“The ageing population and the coronavirus pandemic have caused many caregivers to reduce their hours or quit their jobs,” says Will Donnelly, the co-founder of Seniorcare by Lottie, dedicated eldercare employee benefit solution. “Whether you’re juggling full-time work alongside your duties, or you’re an unpaid carer for a loved one, you’re more likely to experience stress, burnout, and depression.”
Caregiver burnout is a serious problem, here the team from Seniorcare by Lottie explain the symptoms to look for and where to get help.
Caregiver Burnout Symptoms
1. Higher Stress Levels
“As a carer, it’s understandable to be focused on your elderly loved one,” says Donnelly, who is a leading Care Expert. “However, employees may not realise that their wellbeing is suffering too. Too much stress over a long period can negatively affect overall health and wellbeing.”
Watch out for the difference between stress vs burnout. Feelings of stress can be intense and difficult to manage, but there is typically an end in sight. Burnout, on the other hand, is a constant cycle of negative emotions that resemble feelings of stress, but that ultimately lead to feelings of disengagement, helplessness, with no tangible plan to restore yourself to positive emotions.
2. Financial Worry
Financial worry is not unique to caregiver burnout but it’s one of the most common symptoms of chronic stress and burnout, due to the added pressure of caring for another person’s wellbeing.
For example, you may have to financially support an elderly loved one or take unpaid leave. Consequently, the short-term impact on finances causes financial worry, and also, many caregivers may also neglect planning for their own retirement as they care for an elderly relative. This can leave working carers unable to deal with stress, feeling worried and anxious about money.
3. Sleep Problems
Sleep problems, like waking up early, trouble staying asleep, and insomnia, tend to affect many people who are trying to care for others, while also juggling full, or part-time employment.
It has been found that those who work long, unstructured hours, are more likely to suffer from burnout in the first place. Psychological demands of caring for elderly loved ones and a lack of support from others are two huge contributing factors, and are issues many caregivers face regularly.
4. Feeling like you don’t have time for other activities
One of the most common symptoms of burnout affecting employees who care for an elderly loved one, is feeling like their life is limited to just their job, and their duties as a carer.
If someone is under pressure and unable to form positive coping strategies due to the level of stress they’re experiencing, individuals may feel like caregiving has taken over their life.
If someone is looking after a parent, friend, partner, or loved one, they may feel guilty for not spending all your time with them, and may not recognise that it is important to still enjoy social activities, exercise and spending time with other friends and family.
“Life becomes limited to work and taking care of your loved one, while other family members, social lives and personal priorities are neglected. Consequently, common stress symptoms appear, which affect the person emotionally, but also physically”.
5. Feeling like you’ve failed
When chronic stress develops, such as burnout, individuals tend to develop a feeling of failure and a sense of powerlessness. In a caregiving sense, you might feel like you just can’t do enough to support your loved one, no matter how hard you try. If not managed, this quickly develops into despair and disillusionment. “People do not see a way out of the situation and become resigned and indifferent”.
“Taking care of your own wellbeing isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Donnelly reminds us. “Too much stress over time can lead to serious burnout, a condition where symptoms of exhaustion, feeling helpless, and procrastination are common.
If your organisation would benefit from Seniorcare by Lottie’s expertise and want to find out how our services can support your employees, please feel free to reach out via our website