If you are a caregiver or know a caregiver, you probably understand how exhausting it can be. Despite the long hours and hard work that caregiving can bring, how frequently do you see caregivers put on a smile and act as though nothing is wrong? Despite how emotionally and physically caregiving can be, how frequently do caregivers trek on and ignore their fatigue to keep helping their loved one?

Although some caregivers may refuse to acknowledge the wear and tear of caregiving on their emotional and physical wellbeing, caregiving fatigue is a very real and serious problem among caregivers. In just a matter of a few years, caregiving can create very detrimental effects on those who refuse to seek help.

Within 1-18 Months a caregiver:

• Is anxious to provide best possible care for loved one
• Maintains house, garden, car
• Manages the person needing care
• Attends to family events and relationships
• “Keeps up appearances”
• Remains optimistic, caring, supportive
• Operates as “superwoman/superman”
• Helps person with dementia through social situations
• Attends to personal care/needs

Within 21 Months:

• Likely to take medication, usually for sleep/headaches
• Some help from family is still available
• It becomes harder and harder to stay on task with caregiving/other responsibilities

Within 23-32 Months:

• Emotional and physical resources drained
• Less and less contact with personal doctor, dentist, minister, friends
• Experiences feelings of powerlessness
• Caregiving consumes the while day and night
• Outside help dwindles away

At 32 Months:

• Stress becomes harder to conceal
• Caregiver may become irritable
• Sleep is consistently disturbed
• Caregiver  may begin taking tranquilizers
• Caregiver may begin using medication for musculoskeletal pain
• Less and less contact with others

By 38 Months:

• Caregiver feels unhealthy
• Finds it hard to get up in the morning
• Never feels rested
• May have hypertension/colitis
• Symptoms of chronic fatigue
• Caregiver loses the will to take care of themselves
• Is unable to manage the household
• Rarely socializes with others
• Feels helpless, guilty, a failure

By 50 months:

• Chronic state of fatigue
• Caregiver is in a state of “unwellness” or depression
• Is unable to ask for help
• Becomes isolated
• Is unable to access resources for information or help.

By the time a caregiver reaches 50 months, he or she may feel entirely helpless and may lose all resources for help. Caregiving can be rewarding at times, but can also induce strong feelings of guilt or depression. No matter what the situation is, caregivers should not have to endure on their journey to provide care by themselves.

How can Oxnard Family Circle help?

Oxnard Family Circle provides caregiver respite for the low cost of 79.00 per day and helps ensure that your loved one is safe and content during the day while you are at home or at work. Caregivers can attend to other aspects of their daily lives with the comfort of knowing that their loved one will be taken to Oxnard Family Circle in the morning and brought back home afternoon, will receive two meals a day, stimulation, entertainment, nursing care, exercise and socialization. Oxnard Family Circle has services including showering, feeding, and physical and occupational therapy to help your loved one stay healthy and out of a nursing home. Oxnard Family Circle also offers social services and caregiver support groups twice a month to help caregivers join together and share their experiences with each other to become stronger individuals overall.  Every second Saturday of the month we have an event called Garden of Memories Cafe for individuals with mild to mid stages of memory loss and their caregivers, friends and family members to socialize, participate in activities and access resources.

Do not let the negative effects of caregiving fatigue take over your life and damage your relationship with your loved one. Oxnard Family Circle can help you and your loved one stay healthy and happy at our center and at home.

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Katy Krul

CEO at Oxnard Family Circle Adult Day Health Care

Discover a new approach to senior care. Our range of services provided in our Adult Day Health Care with Daily Transportation, is specifically designed to extend seniors’ ability to live independently at home. By focusing on enhanced care management, adult day health services, veterans care, and memory care, we empower seniors to enjoy their golden years. Join our commitment to a higher standard of care that ensures a fulfilling quality of life for seniors.

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