Caregiver syndrome: another form of burnout

The Caregiver Syndrome it arises in those people who play the role of main caregiver of a person in a situation of dependency. It is characterized by both physical and mental exhaustion, with a picture similar to that of the work stress or "burnout".

What is Caregiver Syndrome?

It is manifested by those caregivers in charge of people who require constant help for presenting some degree of neurological or psychiatric alteration or deficiency, such as some kind of dementia.

In most cases, the decision to become a caregiver is often imposed by circumstances, without there being a deliberate decision-making process. Therefore, these people suddenly face a new situation for which they are not prepared and that consumes most of your time and energy, to the point of becoming the center of your lifetime.

Changes that occur in the caregiver's life

The life of the caregiver changes radically as a consequence of the required demand. Your new responsibility rrequires a profound transformation of your way and quality of life

, since, in general, no one is prepared to live 24 hours a day with a person (usually a loved one) who is progressively deteriorating day by day. This situation will most likely generate deep affective and emotional reactions: sadness, tension, anger, guilt, frustration, bewilderment... that so frequently suffer those who perform these functions of type assistance.

Some of the changes that occur in your life in the short and long term:

• Family relationships (new roles, obligations, conflicts arise, ...)
• Labor (abandonment or absenteeism, increased expenses, ...)
• Free time (decrease in time dedicated to leisure, interpersonal relationships, ...)
• Health (tiredness problems, Sleep disturbance and appetite, ...)
• Changes in mood (feelings of sadness, irritability, guilt, worry, anxiety, stress…).

Causes of Caregiver Syndrome

The stress of the caregiver arises mainly from the different ways of perceiving the needs of the patient, the investment of time, resources, conflicts between expectations and other family members, feelings of guilt…

Many times, the conflict arises from the inability to meet the needs of the patient, family and personal. It is very common for the caregiver to give up areas of their social and work life given the needs that the person in their care requires.

Some Signs of Caregiver Syndrome Disorder

It is important that the family and friends of the main caregiver are aware of a number of symptoms that can be indications of the presence of the disorder:

• Increased irritability and "aggressive" behaviors against others
• Tension Against Auxiliary Caregivers (they do not treat the sick correctly)
• Depressive symptoms or anxious.
• Impatience with the person in care.
• Social isolation.
• Physical problems: headaches, anguish, gastric problems, palpitations ...

Therapeutic recommendations

It is as important to take care of ourselves as it is to take care of ourselves; This will allow us to continue providing help in the best possible conditions, without getting burned.

It is essential that:

• Find moments to relax. There is a relationship between inner tension and outer or bodily tension. When you are nervous, your body tenses up. It is common to notice a knot in the stomach, or a tightness in the chest, or have a tense jaw or cervical, or your face is red, etc.

• Rest and sleep enough.

• Better organize your time so that you continue doing some of the activities and hobbies you have always liked (going to the movies, going for a walk, going to the gym, knitting,…).

• Learn to ask for help and delegate functions. It is impossible that, without help, you can carry out the amount of tasks that you did before caring for your family member, and in the same way.

• Don't feel guilty about laughing or having a good timeIf you are happy, it will be easier for you to cope.

• Take care of your physical appearance, this will improve your psychological well-being.

• Avoid self-medicating.

• Communicate and express your feelings to other family members.

• Reach agreements. All members must collaborate in the care of the dependent family member.

• Be assertive. It is important to treat the dependent person and other family members in a friendly and communicative way. This way, misunderstandings will be avoided and everyone will be more willing to help.

• Work on empathy. Putting ourselves in someone else's shoes can help us understand his point of view and understand his behavior.

• Manage emotions. You have to know how to control feelings like anger wave frustration.

• Work on the cognitive stimulation of dependent people. For this, it is necessary to carry out reading practices with them, talk about everyday events so that they have a notion of reality and remember old stories and reminiscences that stimulate your memory.

• Say "no" to excessive demands of the dependent person.