Home is an honourable and difficult obligation. Often performed by a lifelong friend or close family member who wants to make it as easy as possible for someone to receive care at home, the caregiver is sometimes overlooked when discussing how to enhance home care. Even when the caregiver is accounted for, the focus is often on niceties. Yet most of these same lists of tips and tricks for caregivers highlight the physical, psychological, and financial costs that come with the responsibility. Caregivers are strong, devoted, and irreplaceable, yet many find themselves in the unenviable position of experiencing their own declining health. This article discusses why caring for the caregiver is important, provides tips for caregivers, and highlights some of the resources available to them.
The Role of a Caregiver
Caregivers – Family members or friends who provide care for a loved one with chronic illness, disability, or other health conditions. They could help with tasks like bathing, dressing, preparing meals, managing medicine, and coordinating medical appointments. Many caregivers juggle these responsibilities with their careers and family lives.
Why Caregiver Support is Essential
Physical and Emotional Exhaustion:
Caring takes a toll on the body. Lifting, bathing, and dressing a disabled partner or parent, preparing medications, injections, hospital runs, and in-home health care take their toll on the body. Additionally, the emotional demands on the caregiver can prove to be a heavy burden as well, isolating feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.
Financial Pressure:
The financial burden of being a caregiver can be substantial, as the caregiver might make less money if they need to reduce their working hours or quit their job entirely. Caregivers can incur exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses such as medical supplies and treatments.
Physical Well-Being:
Lack of sleep, inadequate diet, and exercise are some of the consequences of being a caregiver who ignores his/her health. Burnout is a common outcome of caregiving and is not a happy state.
Strategies for Self-Care
Self-care isn’t a luxury for ‘the lucky’ but a legitimate act of survival for carers. There are many different, practical things you can do to help yourself stay well, both physically, emotionally, and mentally:
- Set realistic goals: Don’t be each other’s saviour Understand and accept that sometimes you will need help, and have to take breaks.
- Develop Healthy Habits: Exercise, a nutritious diet, and sound sleep are important in establishing health. The implementation of these habits will ease the workload and stress and recharge the caregiver’s energy.
- Ask for help from a professional: such professionals can offer emotional support and coping strategies. Caregivers can be encouraged to seek help from a professional, such as in therapy or counselling, to help them cope with the stress and emotional burden of caregiving. Mental health professionals can offer emotional support as well as strategies to help caregivers effectively handle these life stressors.
- Form a community of care: Other caregivers can provide emotional support and practical advice. Support groups, in person or online, can connect people who understand.
- Utilise Respite Care: Respite care offers a break to the caregiver. The breaks might include in-home care, adult day care, or temporary stays in a care facility. This allows time for the caregiver to rejuvenate and replenish.
- Look for financial help: Whether it’s subsidised programs, government programs, non-profit organisations, or the community, there are resources you can turn to for financial help that can aid you in providing care.
Resources for Caregivers
The situation is noticeable enough to prompt support groups and networks for caregivers. Here are some of the resources available to you:
- The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) can help family caregivers financially. This national program is funded through the Administration for Community Living and typically involves a state agency or an Area Agency on Aging. It provides financial aid and/or support services to family members who are caregivers. Examples of services provided include respite care, counselling, and training.
- The Caregiver Action Network (CAN): They provide resources, materials, and an online community for caregivers, as well as tips, tools, and other supportive options, all online.
- AARP Caregiving Resources: AARP has a suite of resources for caregivers, including articles, guides, and a free caregiver support line. The site provides information on healthcare, legal, and financial caregiving issues.
- Alzheimer’s Association: The Alzheimer’s Association has support groups, education programs, and a 24-hour helpline for caregivers of those with dementia.
- Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA): FCA offers education, support, and advocacy to caregivers and includes webinars, fact sheets, and local caregiver support groups.
- Local Resources: Often, county or municipal communities have local organizations, senior centers, and nonprofits devoted to supporting caregivers. Just as you would for yourself, ask your doctor or contact the local health department or community centre to find other local resources and services.
Legal and Financial Considerations
Caregivers may also require information to address legal or financial matters related to their caring role. The following suggestions may be useful:
Legal Rights:
Caretakers of individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities may require legal services or advocacy to understand their rights and protections in the workplace, medical choices, or other legal matters. Legal aid services or advocacy organisations can help.
Develop a Financial Plan:
A good financial plan can help you to make smart decisions about paying for care without compromising your financial stability. Interview a certified financial planner for advice on dealing with the costs of caregiving.
Insurance and Benefits:
You can explore whether any insurance or benefits might cover costs of caregiving that have not yet been considered, such as health insurance, long-term care insurance, and government benefits programs (eg, Social Security/UK’s pension benefits or Veterans Affairs/NHS care programs).
The Importance of Community Support
One of the most important aspects of supporting caregivers is the help that they get from their communities. Raising awareness about the situation of caregivers can lead to more informed policy-making for better support and offer caregivers some relief. Communities can help caregivers by:
Public Awareness:
Educating the wider public about the needs of workers and the value of their work promotes understanding and support.
Forming Care Circles:
Encouraging caregivers to join support communities can lead to solidarity and the sharing of coping mechanisms. It can also be helpful to connect caregivers to community events and workshops so they have an opportunity to meet with others going through similar challenges. Alongside this, support groups and mental health providers in the area can be great resources for parents who go through perinatal loss.
Caregivers cannot care for others if they are unwell. To care for others, it is essential to understand and recognize the difficulties associated with being a caregiver. If caregivers can have the space and time to take care of themselves and learn to ask for help and use the necessary resources, they will be able to better cope with their challenging responsibilities and maintain their health and happiness.
