Caregivers Shouldn't Neglect Themselves
- Caregiving can take a toll on your emotional and physical health. More than one quarter of caregivers say that caring for another person has been hard on them emotionally.
- Caregiver burnout can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, anger, irritability, and physical illness.
- Take time for yourself and care for your own health to avoid burnout.
While it is undeniably difficult to be diagnosed with and treated for cancer, the family members and friends who care for cancer patients also face their own set of challenges. “Caregiving is the most important job in the universe, because you are there through the highs and lows,” Julie Bulger, manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN. “You are there to support your loved one, to manage all of the daily tasks as everything is changing in your life.”
Caregiver burnout – the stress, anger, fatigue, and illness that can come from putting another person’s needs ahead of your own – is real. It can sneak up on you if you don’t take care of yourself. “It is important to have some things that you can do outside of the focus of caring for somebody that you love with cancer,” Bulger says. She suggests that you take a walk. Get a massage. Visit a support group for cancer caregivers, either online or in person. And see a therapist if you’re struggling to cope with all of your new responsibilities. Joining a support group and building your support team is often a very important strategy and can help prevent or reduce the risk of caregiver burnout.
Know that you are doing truly important work, and appreciate yourself for it. “There’s so much evidence that outcomes are better when somebody has an incredible caregiver by their side,” Bulger says. Research also finds that caregivers who take good care of themselves provide the best quality of care. “So you are helping your loved one in more ways than you know.”
