Caregiver Burnout

When caregivers were asked what they really needed, here’s what they had to say about family caregiver support.

It might be hard to imagine feeling invisible when you spend so much time with someone you love, but for many family caregivers, it’s a common theme. They describe their daily role as both rewarding and exhausting—a balancing act where their loved one’s needs come first and their own often fall last. Over time, that imbalance can take a toll.

Time management for caregivers is possible with the right support, structure, and a little help from Hired Hands Homecare.

How much extra time do you have on your hands? If you’re like most family caregivers, the answer is probably… not much. Between appointments, meal prep, medication reminders, housework, and all the unexpected challenges that pop up in a day, carving out time just for yourself can feel impossible.

Knowing what to expect emotionally when your caregiving role ends can help you heal, reflect, and begin to rediscover yourself.

When caregiving becomes your full-time reality, it can be hard to imagine life any other way. So, when that chapter comes to a close, the quiet that follows can feel overwhelming. If you’re struggling with what to expect emotionally when your caregiving role ends, you’re not alone.  This transition brings a wide mix of feelings that can be confusing, unexpected, or even contradictory.

Spousal caregiver resentment can leave you riddled with guilt, but you can overcome it with the right support.

You meant every word of those vows: through sickness and health, for better or worse. But no one warned you how exhausting it might feel to live those promises day in and day out as a caregiver. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or even resentful while caring for your spouse, take a deep breath: you’re not failing, you’re just human.

Repetitive questions in dementia aren’t always easy to manage, but these tips will help.

If you’ve ever heard the same question five times in five minutes from someone you love, you know just how draining it can be. Repetitive questions in dementia are one of the most common and challenging behaviors families encounter. But these loops aren’t something the person can control. They’re a window into how dementia changes the brain.

Make sure to prioritize privacy as a caregiver to protect your health and well-being.

Think back to your teenage years. Remember how important it was to find a safe place to be by yourself, to shut out the world, turn up the music, and write your most secret thoughts in your diary?

The need for privacy that began then may become overshadowed when providing care for someone else. Yet it’s still vitally important to be able to separate yourself both physically and mentally from your caregiving role to take time for yourself and prioritize privacy as a caregiver.

How Can a Caregiver Make Privacy a Priority?

Frankly, it isn’t always easy. You may feel as though you need to always have at least one ear and eye open to the needs of the person in your care. There … Read More »

Caregiver PTSD is, surprisingly, the most common form of post-traumatic stress disorder.

When you think of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), your mind might conjure images of soldiers returning from battle or individuals who’ve faced extreme life-threatening events. While PTSD is certainly linked to those experiences, it isn’t confined to them. In fact, PTSD can develop after any deeply distressing event—including providing care for a family member. Surprising, isn’t it? Caregiver PTSD is a significant yet often overlooked issue, as the focus is typically placed on the person receiving care rather than the caregiver’s emotional and mental health.

Balancing emotional empathy for caregivers can lead to healthier, more compassionate care for the person you love.

Empathy is, naturally, a crucial characteristic of effective caregiving. The ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes helps you to better meet their needs. However, there is a particular form of empathy you need to understand in order to guard your own health and wellness: emotional empathy for caregivers.

Emotional empathy takes caring to another level. Instead of simply understanding how another person is feeling, emotional empathy includes actually experiencing their feelings. For instance, if you’re someone who is highly emotionally empathetic, sitting beside a person who is crying will bring tears to your own eyes. If they’re in pain, you’ll also experience distress. You’re the type of person who will spring into action when someone has an immediate need.

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If you’re feeling bored as a caregiver, try these helpful suggestions.

It’s hard to admit but even harder to avoid. Feeling bored as a caregiver is a common response to spending so much time together, completing the same tasks, engaging in the exact same activities, and running out of intriguing conversation topics. This is not by any means associated with your feelings for the person in your care. In fact, they could be feeling just as tired of a stagnant routine.

Find the tips you need here to learn how to become a more patient caregiver.

Does your blood pressure soar once you finally finish filling your cart with groceries, simply to find only one checkout lane open and a line of aggravated shoppers in front of you? Or when you arrive 5 minutes early for a doctor’s appointment, but have to wait 40 minutes to be seen? Many people just seem to exude an innate sense of patience, regardless of the circumstances. Wouldn’t you like to know their secret, particularly when it comes to knowing how to become a more patient caregiver for someone you love?