Caregiving as a profession or as an informal role within the home, comes with many rewards like feelings of accomplishment, being there for a loved one, and making a difference in someone’s life. Likewise, the caregiver role may come with not so pleasant consequences including physical health problems, financial issues and mental health concerns. Thousands of years ago, the Apostle Luke (4:23) stated, as translated from Latin “Physician, heal thyself”. This saying rings very true today as more than 43 million caregivers and 4 million nurses and nursing assistants provide care across the nation.
Snapshot of Today’s Caregiver
Generally speaking, male caregivers prefer managing care, whereas females tend to administer direct care like bathing, feeding, dressing and so on. Women deliver the lion’s share of caregiving either professionally or informally in the home. The average age of the female caregiver is 49, many who work and provide care at home, and the majority of caregivers are White, with Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and others following.
Conditions Requiring Caregiving
Regardless where the caregiver works, either in a hospital, nursing home, hospice or at home caring for a loved one, he or she is providing physical and psychological care to individuals who can no longer care for themselves due mainly to one or more of the following conditions:
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Mental health conditions
- Developmental disabilities
- Other chronic illnesses
Caregiving as a Juggling Act
The roles and responsibilities of today’s caregiver go beyond just providing for the physical and psychological needs of their care recipients. Caregiving includes providing activities of daily living (ADLs) and independent activities of daily living (IADLs) like the following:
- Medication management
- Ambulating, toileting, dressing, assisting with meals, personal hygiene and continence
- Monitoring health and changes in status
- Transportation
- Managing finances
- Housework
- Preparing meals
- Advocating and communicating needs with providers and agencies
Each ADL or IADL is a significant aspect of the individual’s life and finding balance to deliver time, quality and care can become stressful, exhausting and lead to mental health issues for the caregiver.
Caregiving & Mental Health Concerns
Although as stated before, caregiving can be very rewarding. It can also chip away at the caregiver’s mental and emotional health. Someone, somewhere once stated “Our greatest strength is equally our greatest weakness”. In terms of the caregiver, the love of providing care is indeed their greatest strength, but it may also be an equal weakness. It’s estimated that over 60% of all caregivers eventually experience burnout. They, too, may also experience the following negative mental health outcomes:
- Chronic stress
- Depression
- Withdrawal from others
- Anxiety about the future
- Loss of interest in previous enjoyed activities
- Hopelessness and helplessness
- Sleep difficulties
- Poor concentration
- Poor memory
- Irritability
- Frustration
- Anger
Caring for the Caregiver: Management & Treatments
“Physician, heal thyself” begins with an awareness that one’s state of mental and emotional well-being is at risk of being or is already compromised. This is easier said than done because most caregivers focus on the other instead of themselves. It is because of this that caregivers may hear from someone else that they appear to be overly stressed or not themselves. So what can caregivers do to reduce stress or improve their mental health?
Talk to Someone and Seek a Professional
Beyond becoming aware of an issue, the next best thing to do is to talk to someone. It has been reported in research that when a person simply shares what they’re going through, they seem to feel better. And even better, yet, finding a mental health professional who understands caregiving and all of the issues it may bring can start the journey to better mental health.
Take Care of One’s Self
Sometimes caregivers forget to care for the most important person in the caregiving relationship – themselves. If they become sick, who will provide care? It’s not selfish to focus on one’s physical, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual health. The healthier the caregiver, the better the care. Exercise, nutrition, stress management are all imprint aspects of self-care.
Ask for Help
When people are younger, or when nurses graduate into the real world, some may think they are super human, and some very well be for a period of time. But, life kicks in and reality sets in. No single caregiver can do all things. Having a support group and network of family members, friends, and healthcare professionals can be very helpful in decreasing stress and improving mental health.
Find Community Resources
Caregivers can search for organizations within the community that may provide help in areas of meal programs, respite, and adult day care. Schools and churches may have programs that many are not aware of, so it’s best to be in the know when it comes to local resources.
Final Thoughts on Caregiving and Mental Health
Providing care to another human being may be the greatest and most personally rewarding act one can provide. On the other hand, it may also come with a high price on the caregiver’s mental and emotional health. Sometimes all it takes is for the caregiver to look in the mirror and ask “How am I doing?” and then reach out for the help one needs to decrease stress and improve mental health.