155. Caregiver Burnout? These 6 Realistic Tips will help you support caregivers better

When talking to other caregivers, Senior Living Expert Lori Williams found a striking similarity: Many felt ill-equipped after their loved one was discharged from rehab. After her husband suffered a stroke on Christmas Day in 2022, she learned firsthand what many of her clients experience each day.

Once he was released from rehab, Lori was given her husband’s medicine, told to install grab bars in the shower for safety, add a shower chair and was sent on her way. Her well-intentioned friends also advised her to make time for herself and to exercise. Easier said than done! When a loved one’s needs are significant, caregivers become overwhelmed and burnt out. Meeting their own needs feels less urgent and maybe even impossible.

The reality? Lori (and many caregivers) need a different type of support: realistic solutions for protecting their energy.

Here are her 6 tips for caregivers having a tough time:

1. Make sure they have knowledge of helpful resources to ease their burden. Examples include meal delivery service, tele-health visits, medication delivery and more.

2. Establish a routine. This helps you stay on target and keep you organized. This is especially important when administering medication is involved.

3. Get dependable help. Whether that’s a family member or a professional, it can better help caregivers tend to their own needs (and those of their other family members).

4. Find respite in an overnight (or longer) break. Maybe your loved one has a respite stay with an assisted living facility so you can get a full night’s rest. Maybe you take a weekend off while your other loved ones pitch in.

5. Work out a flexible plan with your employer. They may allow you to work from home or offer employee assistance.

6. Rely on your friends and family. Maybe it’s for venting or reinforcements, but you can’t do this alone. Let them be there for you.  

Topics discussed:

1. Caregiver burnout
2. How to support caregivers
3. Caregiver resources
4. Social Security Disability
5. Respite
6. Employee assistance
7. Professional caregivers

Takeaways from this episode:

- Burnout can look like many things. Maybe you’re exhausted, scatterbrained, stressed, or crying more than usual. This is a sign to find support.

- Allsup is a service that can help people get Social Security Disability (SSDI). When people file on their own, it can take years for approval. Using a service like this tends to have a higher success rate.

- Know your own limits. There’s no shame in hiring help, especially if it promotes safety for your loved one.

- There are many resources for the time-pressed caregiver: meal delivery, medication delivery, tele-health, home health and more.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get your copy of my book Surrounded by Love: One Family's Journey Through Stroke Recovery:

https://amzn.to/3Y41CxA

Front Porch Pantry - healthy meals delivered to your door:

https://frontporchpantry.com/

Allsup - Expert Social Security Disability (SSDI) Help

https://www.allsup.com/

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