Ask questions: Assessing a caregiver's burnout
Ask questions: Assessing a caregiver's burnout
Paying attention to a myriad of small signs in both the caregiver’s and the patient’s behavior can alert the home health nurse to a need for intervention to prevent caregiver burnout, says Nancy Stallings, MAM, program manager for caregiver support for Salt Lake County Aging Services in Salt Lake City. Stallings presents the following 10 questions as a good way to assess caregiver burnout or a sense of being overwhelmed:1
- How much rest are the caregivers getting?
- What personal sacrifices are caregivers making in order to serve the person’s needs?
- Is the caregiver neglecting his or her own needs?
- Is constant surveillance required as part of care tasks?
- Have caregivers turned to alcohol or drug abuse in their distress? Has substance abuse been life-long?
- How drastically has the patient’s personality changed in response to illness?
- Are caregivers receiving verbal or physical abuse from the person in their care?
- Is the primary caregiver overwhelmed by demands from several dependent people at once?
- Are financial constraints interfering with the caregivers’ ability to follow medical advice?
- Are problems from the family history resurfacing and contributing to abuse or neglect?
All of these questions address triggers that can lead to caregiver burnout, says Stallings. If home health personnel notice that caregivers are neglecting their own needs, using alcohol, being abused by the patient, or experiencing financial hardships, then it is imperative that other support systems such as social services, community organizations, or other family members be called upon to help, she says.
Reference
1. Lustbader W, Hooyman NR. Taking Care of Aging Family Members: A Practical Guide. 1st ed. New York City: Free Press; 1994.
Paying attention to a myriad of small signs in both the caregivers and the patients behavior can alert the home health nurse to a need for intervention to prevent caregiver burnout.Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.