Avoid Alzheimer’s Caregiver Burnout from Our Orange County Community

Protect your mental health so you can be your best self for your loved one

The term “burnout” can be defined as physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. As a caregiver to someone dealing with Alzheimer’s, your job can definitely be stressful and challenging. We don’t want the symptoms of burnout, including fatigue, anger, and a cynical attitude, to impede upon your daily life or your ability to serve those you love. Here at Park View Estates Assisted Living and Memory Care community, we prioritize our residents’ mental health with our Sensory Spa, which includes therapies that encourage our residents to improve their focus in a variety of ways. However, your mental health as a caregiver is just as important. We hope these tips to avoid Alzheimer’s caregiver burnout provide some support.

Set Boundaries and “Tap Out”

It’s natural to want to do it all, perfectly, every day as a caregiver. A great first tip to avoid Alzheimer’s caregiver burnout is to recognize that you are human. Try to regularly remind yourself that you’re allowed to feel worn out from the length of your to-do list. While it may be tempting to think that all your spare moments should be spent caring for your loved one with Alzheimer’s, give yourself permission to set aside time to rest and recharge. Taking even short breaks, consistently, to stretch, read, meditate, or take a walk can positively impact your mood significantly.

Know Yourself

When you’re caring for someone with complex and consistent needs for assistance, it may be easy to get caught up in feeling constantly “on call”. To protect yourself from burnout, it can be helpful to ask yourself what tasks or aspects feel especially stressful. Are there specific parts of the role that lead to feeling overwhelmed and overworked? Knowing yourself and being aware of your triggers for burnout can help you to be proactive.

Journaling and Gratitude

When you’re nearing the point of burnout, it can be difficult to articulate your feelings. A helpful outlet for recognizing and making sense of our emotions is in the form of journaling. Journaling has been found to have positive effects on mental wellbeing. As you feel the stress, anxiety or depression building from your caregiver position, make a point to journal these feelings down in a rapid, stream-of-consciousness style just to get it out. Often, you’ll find the act of writing to be therapeutic. The visual of your feelings laid out on paper can make them feel manageable and can get you into problem-solving mode.

Put on Your Armor

The last tip to avoid Alzheimer’s caregiver burnout we’d like to share is to set yourself up for success by “putting on your armor” each day. It’s important to take care of yourself. This can come in many forms, but here are a few lifestyle habits you can establish to support your mental health and feel equipped to effectively serve in your profession:

• Eat a nutritious diet, avoid fast food, and don’t skip meals
• Get adequate sleep
• Exercise often

Taking care of your body helps it take care of you. In other words, healthy habits not only set you up for success by keeping your body physically operating at its best, but the way you prioritize your health makes you more productive, focused, and positive. These defenses can be extremely powerful against burnout.

We are sure you’ve heard the expression “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. We wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Here at Park View Estates, regular use of our Sensory Spa promotes positive emotional regulation techniques for our residents. We hope these tips to avoid Alzheimer’s caregiver burnout, however, give you tools of your own so you can keep up the amazing work.

If you’re interested in learning more Park View Estates Assisted Living and Memory Care community, we’d be happy to give you more information or set up a tour!