People who are caring for the elderly can develop these symptoms.
Taking into account the exponential aging of the population, the number of cases of dependent people is increasing.
Both in cases of dementia and in cases of functional problems, older people are mostly cared for by families. According to the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, there are around 2,000,000 cases of family caregivers in Spain, of which nearly 90% are women (mostly wives and daughters).
Within this group of people who assist and care for other elderly people, a growing number of cases of Caregiver Syndrome have been detected . This psychological affectation is the result of the high levels of physical and emotional stress that caregivers experience in their day to day life.
Before going into more details, we are going to learn about the role of a caregiver, their tasks and why these cases of Caregiver Syndrome are so frequent.
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What tasks does a caregiver perform?
An informal caregiver is a family member or friend who provides unpaid help to another person, usually due to the personal bond that unites them.
They usually perform multiple tasks, among which are the following:
- overall supervision
- Help with basic activities such as cleaning or feeding
- Help with money management
- Medical care
- Help with transfers (getting in and out of bed, walking, etc.)
- Management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (agitation, continuous repetition of questions, erratic wandering…)
- Administrative procedures
- Etc.
According to a study carried out by IMSERSO in 2005 , caregivers spend an average of more than seventy hours a week caring for dependent people.
This means that the personal, work, social or economic areas of the caregiver are seriously affected and neglected, in many cases.
What is Caregiver Syndrome?
The long time caring for a loved one for so many hours a day is a clear example of chronic stress that produces a series of physical and psychological consequences that make up what is known as Caregiver Syndrome, among which are the following:
- Exhaustion
- lowering of defenses
- Cardiovascular risk
- sadness or depression
- Apathy
- Anxiety
- hopelessness
- Fault
- Disrupted personal development
- Social isolation
How can it be prevented or treated?
It is very important that the affected person becomes aware of the importance of self-care , beyond caring for the affected person.
1. Psychoeducation
For this , it is useful to carry out a program based on psychoeducation , in which the caregiver is provided with tools and information that can help him delegate, in order to have more time for himself. For this reason, it is always recommended that there be more than one caregiver and they can take turns.
Within the psychoeducation program it is important to include the social resources that the family can turn to (day centers, home help, etc.) so that they have as much information as possible about the decisions to be made.
Regarding the promotion of self-care, the person will be encouraged to take care of their diet, respect their hours of sleep and perform regular physical exercise. In addition, it is important that they carry out pleasant activities that are reinforcing, teaching them to manage the feeling of guilt that may appear in these cases.
2. Psychotherapy
Cognitive restructuring techniques can be very useful to dismantle irrational beliefs regarding the care of the dependent family member (I must always be there for my family member, I must not go to the movies in case my family member needs me, I have finished going out of trip…).
The emotional discharge in these cases is of great importance, so caregivers will be encouraged to look for a trusted figure with whom they can vent and verbalize the emotions they are experiencing. It is important that at certain times of the day they return to the role of the main character, and not always be secondary, as this can seriously affect their self- esteem .
Lastly, there are support groups for caregivers of dependent people, such as the Caring for the Caregiver workshop coordinated by the Telephone of Hope in several cities in Spain, aimed at people who carry out direct care tasks for dependent people and who wish to care also of themselves.
These types of groups not only provide useful tools to the caregiver, but also allow the person to learn about other similar cases with whom they can empathize and feel understood, which is why they are usually very helpful.
Bibliographic references
- Alvarado, B. (2009). Physical and Emotional Exhaustion of the Primary Caregiver in Cancer.
- Archury, Diana Marcela (2011). «Quality of life of caregivers of patients with chronic diseases with partial dependency». Nursing Research: Image and Development.
- Astudillo, W. (2003). Needs of caregivers of chronic patients.
- Flores Torres, I. (2010). Affectation of well-being in caregivers of children and adults with disease. Redalyc.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.