Topic Tuesday// Calling all Carers! // Tuesday 28th March 2023 5:30-7PM AEDT

Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. It may be accompanied by a change in attitude, from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can occur when caregivers don't get the help they need, or if they try to do more than they are able, physically, and/or financially.

Many caregivers also feel guilty if they spend time on themselves rather than on their ill or elderly loved ones. Caregivers who are "burned out" may experience fatigue, stress, anxiety and depression.

Some of the symptoms can include:

• Withdrawal from friends, family and other loved ones
• Feeling low, irritable, hopeless and helpless
• Changes in appetite, weight or both
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Getting sick more frequently
• Emotional and physical exhaustion

Some ways to help prevent caregiver burnout may include:

• Talking with someone you really trust around how you are feeling.
• Set realistic goals, accept that you may need help with caregiving so reach out to others for help if you can.
• Engage with carer support groups (e.g. in person / online).
• Take advantage of respite care services if it is available.
• Be realistic about your loved one’s disease, especially if it is a progressive disease such as Alzheimer’s.
• Talk to a professional
• Know your own limits and be honest with yourself.
• Educate yourself about the illness. The more you know about the illness, the more effective you will be in caring for the person you are caring for.
• Stay healthy and eat well.

Accept your feelings for example, having negative feelings or anger is okay.

The transition into an aged care facility can be really tough @Shaz51, but sometimes, it can e the best thing for the person to get the best support, and also for their carers to be better supported to an extent as well ❤️

very true @TideisTurning and mum having dementia as well now

@Krishna , @Snowie2000 , @FloatingFeather , @TideisTurning , @amber22 , @Month04 , @Appleblossom , @Determined , @Smc , @Brena74

What have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve taken from becoming a carer and your experiences of caring? What would you share with others going through a similar journey?

@FloatingFeather

Biggest lessons would include at the end of the day no matter how much you love the person you care for sometimes their answers only lie within themselves. What I mean by this is if the person you care for doesn’t want help, doesn’t want to receive treatment, doesn’t attend their appointments there is only so much you can do.

Take time for yourself and don’t feel guilty for it. Turn your phone off for a while if you need to. Let your loved one know that you are happy to chat but maybe within a certain timeframe and for a certain period of time.

Always show love and compassion but (in my case at least) there were a couple of times I had to give that love and compassion to myself first. Some days I was just depleted and needed to recharge.

Set boundaries, know your limits and don’t be pushed (unless the situation is urgent). Encourage your loved one to reach out to others for support.

As we finish tonight’s discussion, I would like to thank everyone that joined us for this discussion this evening, and those that have been reading along as well. A huge thank you to @FloatingFeather for sharing her experiences with us, and her wisdom with being a carer. Another big thank you to @TideisTurning for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us tonight as well.

If you would like to keep the discussion going after this evening or if you have any other questions on the topic of being a carer for someone else, please feel free to head over to the Friends, family and carer section of our forums.

And with that, we will end our discussion here 😊 Thank you again everyone and have a great rest of your night! ❤️ @Shaz51 @Snowie2000 @Month04 @Appleblossom @Krishna + everyone reading along tonight!

Loving all of these tips @Shaz51. Thank you so much for sharing with us!

@Snowie2000 @Krishna @Appleblossom @Month04 @Brena74 @ClockFace @Faith-and-Hope do you have any tips or learnings you could share with us? 😊

wonderful tips @FloatingFeather , very important for us all to remember xxx

I don't know the answer to how to ensure I have support. The only thing that I have done in the past is to tell 1 extended family member the extent of the issues. (Mental health issues are usually not told to everyone.) This is so that they can provide emergency support/ childcare when I have needed to take someone to hospital or to an urgent appointment etc.