If the stress of caregiving is left unchecked, it can take a toll on your health, relationships, and state of mind—eventually leading to burnout, a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. And when you get to that point, both you and the person you're caring for suffer.
Caregiver stress is due to the emotional and physical strain of caregiving. Caregivers report much higher levels of stress than people who are not caregivers. Many caregivers are providing help or are "on call" almost all day. Sometimes, this means there is little time for work or other family members or friends.
Caregiver stress syndrome is strongly associated with negative health outcomes. Between 40 to 70% of caregivers suffer from depression, while many caregivers also have anxiety as a result of the stress associated with providing care. Anger and irritability are also common symptoms of caregiver stress syndrome.
If not properly addressed, stress may become chronic. This is especially true for long-term caregiving, such as for children with developmental disabilities or chronic illness, or for loved ones of any age with serious mental or chronic physical illness.
Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. Stressed caregivers may experience fatigue, anxiety and depression. Some ways to prevent burnout include joining a caregiver support group and using respite care services.
Common signs and symptoms of caregiver stress
Anxiety, depression, irritability. Feeling tired and run down. Difficulty sleeping.
Caregiver stress can lead to multiple negative outcomes including declines in physical health, increased mental health concerns, and overall decreased quality of life. Caregiver stress also leads to increased financial costs to the person, family, and health care systems, making it a public health issue.
Tips to reduce caregiver stress. Give yourself a break. Ask a friend or relative to fill in for you for a few hours occasionally so you can take a walk, watch a movie or go out to dinner.
Caregiver syndrome, also known as caregiver burnout or caregiver stress, is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that is experienced by many individuals who care for a loved one who is aging or chronically ill.
Workplace stress also has adverse effects on workers' mental health, with an increased risk of anxiety, burnout, depression, and substance use disorders. Workers who are stressed at work are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and poor dietary patterns.
Caring can also lead to social isolation, loneliness, loss of social relationships and lack of support, and the experience of stigma. The impact of caring can increase over time and have greater effects for specific groups of carers.
Stress, Health, and Productivity
Studies show that stressful working conditions are actually associated with increased absenteeism, tardiness, and intentions by workers to quit their jobs-all of which have a negative effect on the bottom line.
The caregiver stress theory is suggested as a causal theory for physical and psychological elder abuse (EA) and neglect within dementia, due to the high rate of behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSD) and caregiver stress.
But for many caregivers, stress induced by caregiving responsibilities often goes on daily for many years, snowballing into chronic stress. Caregiver burnout refers to episodes when chronic stress climaxes into feelings of physical and mental exhaustion, inability to cope, and sometimes hopelessness.
Being a caregiver requires endless amounts of energy, empathy and patience. Caregiving is a time-consuming undertaking that can easily lead to burnout. If you're caring for a loved one, it's important to be aware of the challenges caregivers face, so that you're able to address them if you need to.
Talk to a Professional
Keeping feelings and frustrations bottled up can make the situation worse. Feelings of loneliness and isolation are common among caregivers and can contribute to the negative side effects of burnout. Talking to a professional about your situation can help you learn techniques to manage burnout.
Signs such as avoiding the loved one, anger, fatigue, depression, impaired sleep, poor health, irritability or that terrible sense that there is “no light at the end of the tunnel” are warnings that the caregiver needs time off and support with caregiving responsibilities.
The effects of job stress can result in burnout, reduced motivation, decreased job satisfaction, physical and mental health problems, low productivity, increased absenteeism, high turnover rates, low morale, interpersonal conflicts, and more.