3 Signs You May Be Suffering From Caregiver Burnout While Caring For A Parent With Alzheimer's Disease
If you are taking care of a parent with Alzheimer's disease, the full-time responsibility may start taking its toll on you. If you suspect you may be running yourself down, look for the following three signs that you may be suffering from caregiver burnout.
Severe Mood Swings
When taking care of your parent who is suffering from Alzheimer's, you probably find that you run through a lot of emotions at once. While it is normal to feel sad when they do not recognize you or get frustrated when your loved one is unable to remember how to do basic things for themselves like eating, severe mood swings could signify burnout.
You may have noticed that one minute you feel like crying, and then you want to scream in anger. Since your emotions are constantly in flux, you may start losing control of them. If you feel as though your emotions are taking over, you may be suffering from caregiver burnout
Lack of Patience
Along with mood swings, you may also find that your patience is waning. When you first started taking care of your parent, you may not have minded taking a few extra minutes to help them eat.
However, after time passes and you have to feed them every meal, you may find yourself getting impatient with their lack of understanding or speed. Your patience may turn to anger, and you may find yourself lashing out. If so, you may need to get some help, either from other family members or a home health care service like the one represented at http://www.inyourhomecares.com/.
Constant Fatigue
Not only are you taking care of your parent, but you may also have other responsibilities. You may have a job and a family of your own vying for your attention and energy.
If you start spreading yourself too thin, you may find that you are constantly tired. When you start feeling as though you can never get enough rest, you put yourself at risk for getting sick yourself. Before you get to the point of extreme exhaustion, you should find someone who can take over the care of your parent for a few hours so you can get some much-needed rest.
If you are experiencing any of the above signs, you have become overwhelmed with taking care of your loved one and need help. Contact a home health care service to discuss your options for having someone take some of the responsibility off of your shoulders and give you a rest so you can take better care of your parent and yourself.