When You’re Burning Out as a Family Caregiver, Assisted Living Is Something to Discuss

May 26, 2020 by ·

It’s certainly easy to burn out as a family caregiver. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking care of your aging mother with whom you’ve had an incredibly close relationship all your life, a disabled adult child, or your spouse. It is a difficult job, without question, and when it’s an aging senior you’re looking out for, assisted living is a topic to consider. 

Many family caregivers don’t want to bring up the topic of assisted living because they worry about the ramifications and repercussions. They don’t want their aging parent, grandparent, or other loved one assuming they don’t care anymore. 

Just worrying you might hear, “Why don’t you care about me anymore?” can cause anxiousness, stress, and worry. Who wants to even hear that question, let alone have to answer? 

 

It’s not that you don’t care.

Assisted Living Mobile, AL:Burning Out as a Family Caregiver

Many seniors have misconceptions about assisted living and what it can offer. They commonly associate it with a different type of facility, one more rooted in direct medical attention than a high quality of life. 

So, they have this preconceived idea if somebody begins discussing assisted living that it means they don’t want to support them anymore. That thought process can suddenly morph into the notion this family member no longer cares about them. 

It’s baseless and completely untrue. However, that doesn’t change the pain and anxiety it might cause you as the family caregiver. 

 

Why is assisted living a great topic to discuss? 

At a quality assisted living facility, seniors can maintain a higher quality of life than if they were living alone, depending on friends, family, and neighbors to take care of various tasks each day or throughout the week. 

An aging senior would no longer have to worry about preparing meals, cleaning their home, taking out the garbage, and so on. 

Also, at certain assisted living communities, there are going to be activities, entertainment options, and opportunities to get out and about, walk around, and even play certain games that simply aren’t reasonable at home, living alone. 

 

The best way to bring up the topic. 

When you’re burning out as a family caregiver, you are under incredible stress. It’s easy to snap. Before reaching that point, though, start talking about the things you know this family member would love to do again, simple activities, games with friends, arts or music, going for walks outside, and so forth. 

Talk about them as though they’re still possible. They might have given up such simple goals and ambitions, but when you begin talking about them as though they are reasonable and still possible, they’ll want to know more. 

That’s when you transition the conversation to assisted living. 

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living near Mobile, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017. 

Filed Under: Assisted Living in Mobile AL, Burning Out as a Family Caregiver · Tagged: ,
About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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