Preventing Caregiver Burnout In COVID-19.

It is said that when someone is sick in the house, every member suffers and not only the patient. In the case of COVID, not only the patient but the caregiver also goes through a plethora of problems from physical to mental fatigue, work-life balance, and a lot of stress. Ms. Kajal U Dave, Clinical Psychologist gives us some tips to prevent caregiver burnout in COVID times.

A caregiver undergoes a lot of stress. A caregiver experiences multiple emotions once the family member is detected COVID. First and foremost is the apprehension related to the severity of the disease. Should extended members be informed? Fear of being discriminated by society members and distress of managing the health care of family member suffering from covid especially when a lot of protocol gets changed during the treatment. The confusion escalates when a lot of unwanted advice comes from friends and families. The thought of taking the patient to the hospital for tests and checkup confounds the fear. Many times, the near and dear ones tend to share negative news of COVID cases which adds to fear and anxiety.

Apart from these, many times caregivers also have a fear of losing livelihood due to quarantine, fear of contracting the infection, and fear of losing jobs and managing work and home. There is a feeling of helplessness experienced by caregivers while waiting for their turn to get medical facilities. It’s more difficult for children and adolescents who are caregivers and have to support parents or family members who are getting treated for covid as they deal with the fear of losing their loved one or not able to see their parents due to quarantine or hospitalization.

During this period, we tend to get confused as naturally we are bombarded with a lot of information, and as is the tendency of the human mind we only focus on negative information first and tend to act accordingly. Here we need to keep our faith bigger than our fears and focus on guidelines issued and communicate with doctors if any doubts.

It’s observed that in midst of this emotional crisis as a family member we tend to ignore our health. It’s difficult to manage patient needs and taking care of oneself but one needs to understand that our mental health has an impact on our body and sooner it can take a toll on one’s health.

So, what can one do to take care of oneself as a family member and caregiver?

Tips For Reduced Anxiety And Stress Of Caregiver

1. Clear doubts with treating team instead of following social media news.
2. Have faith in treating team
3. Speak to helpline numbers where you can share concerns and feelings related to the current situation. It’s important to vent out feelings to focus and prioritize what is needed to come out of the challenging situation.
4. One can take the help of mindful techniques like meditation, mandala therapy.
5. While helping children or adolescents who are caregivers it’s important to deal with them with calm and patience rather than sharing only negative talks.
6. Making use of play and creating a lively atmosphere can help the child feel good while dealing with these stressors.

Inputs by Ms. Kajal U Dave, who is a Clinical Psychologist, at Mindset, Mindart and Coffee Conversation, Mumbai

Contact Ms. Dave atdavekajal26@gmail.com