Caregiving can present a serious strain on mental health, emotions and finances, and the situation is compounded when those receiving care have health issues.
A 2020 report from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP indicated that of 48 million American adults offering care to people over age 18, 26% were caring for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. That number, the report stated, was up from 2015′s 22%. And caregiving, the report said, worsened the health of 23% of caregivers surveyed, representing a 6% rise from 2015 numbers.
With sandwich-generation caregivers balancing multiple other responsibilities, like dependent children and work, burnout is a very real possibility. Here are some expert perspectives on the situations that lead to burnout and ways carers can offset them.
Juggling dynamics
Seniorly, a San Francisco-based national marketplace for senior living communities, recently published its own report using the aforementioned figures, along with statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration, the Census Bureau and the Alzheimer’s Association to determine where caregiving burden will grow most. Its projections put Georgia’s sandwich generation in fourth place nationally.
Marlena del Hierro, Seniorly vice president of partnerships and commercial strategy, and a gerontologist herself, said sandwich generation caregivers fall between ages 40 and 59. Mental and money-related strain is common for this group, she said.
Where does burnout occur?
Caregiver burnout can crop up as the result of several scenarios that often interlock.
Jennifer Olsen, CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Center Institute for Caregivers, in Americus, put potential burnout scenarios into three categories.
Administrative burnout, she said, is perhaps the “least glamorous,” but it’s a growing area of concern. Forms, online portals and passwords and multiple insurance cards all take up emotional and physical energy for caregivers.
“Trying to figure out all of the forms, the appointments, the process for getting any sort of program or coverage set up for the person that you’re caring for,” she said, “that is draining because that requires kind of physical work of sitting on hold and the emotional stress that comes from that.”
A workforce shortage also presents problems, Olsen said, as caregivers seek paid workers to cover during times when they need to go to their own appointments and run errands. And finally, she said, there’s the length of time people spend caregiving, which can last for years.
“That has a wearing effect that we haven’t quite quantified,” she said. “We know that the time that someone spends in the role has an impact.”
Offsetting burnout
Offsetting burnout, according to del Hierro can require some out-of-the-box thinking.
Getting creative with respite care can help, she said. Caregivers might use senior living communities where an older loved one can go for short-term stays of two weeks to 30 days. There are also respite grants available, depending on local resources, she said. She also cited technology, like user-friendly tablets that support memory and motor skills, along with assistive devices for telehealth, and rideshare companies with specialized programs and services. In the end, she said, help for caregivers can come down to reaching out to friends or support groups.
“(It’s) just asking for help and being really direct about what you need so that you can start supporting yourself before something kind of happens in the grand scheme of things,” she said.
Local help
Finding local help is where RCI comes in for Georgians. The institute, Olsen explained, has several ways to connect caregivers across the state with help close to them. One of those mechanisms is the Georgia Care-Net Coalition, which Olsen said works with Area Agencies on Aging throughout the state. Caregivers, she said, can reach out to RCI for help in different areas and be connected with local experts through this initiative.
“I think that’s what’s really important when you think about supporting caregivers,” she said. “They are often looking for support or services in the geographic area where they’re based. National organizations may not be able to provide that.”
Like del Hierro, she emphasized reaching out for help to stave off burnout.
“I think one of a few things that is critical is to find either a caregiver support group or even just someone else who has that caregiver experience outside of your own family or your own network,” she said. “That kind of peer engagement is so important.”
Faith communities, area agencies on aging, senior centers, memory care or assisted living facilities with services for caregivers who aren’t necessarily connected with their residents, and larger associations with Georgia chapters are good jumping off points, she said.
For those who have been caregivers in the past, there’s the opportunity to support those currently in the role. It’s a concept that ties in with a motto of RCI founder Rosalynn Carter, based on the idea there are four kinds of people in the world: those who are, were, need or will be caretakers.
“The journey is complicated and unique,” Olsen said. “And people are looking for someone to talk to who understands.”
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