Sometimes I marvel at how easy activities of daily living were before my spinal cord injury about nine years ago. Now simple tasks like exiting my bed, showering and dressing are time-consuming and require considerable assistance.
Finding good caregivers can be difficult because the work isn’t easy and Medicaid-provided services don’t pay caregivers well. Keeping good caregivers is important, and taking care of them in return is essential. Avoiding caregiver “burnout” makes keeping good care more likely.
Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion brought on by providing care.
Memories of my experience motivate me to warn other families of burnout risks.
The first caregiver in my life to experience the phenomenon was my brother, who had taken on my care upon my diagnosis. The stress exacerbated his addiction issues, and he turned to alcoholism. My daughter, a young teen at the time, took on my care nearly full time, for lack of funds and a local caregiver agency. Her academic progress, social life, and worst of all mental health suffered greatly.
Burnout can lead to tension and emotional outbursts, overwhelming guilt on both sides and ultimately destroy relationships. For these reasons sometimes it’s not ideal to have a family member as a caregiver, although lack of resources can limit our options.
My relationships with my family were scarred but spared, as I opted to move into nursing facilities, eventually moving out on my own only after establishing service with multiple caregiver agencies. The agencies are located an hour away in the city, however, and only a few local caregivers are employed through them. Helping these caregivers avoid burnout is essential, or I will end up back in an institution.