Understanding the emotional challenges of caregiving
The importance of working with your caregivers
Your carers work hard to make a difference, so it's great to give something back.
Our Helping Hands carers are always there when you need them, so they appreciate being treated with respect and kindness too. Maintaining a positive relationship with your carer leads to a supportive and collaborative home that leads to your overall well-being and health. By openly communicating, sharing concerns, and respecting their expertise, carers will be able to understand your needs and provide expert live-in care or visiting care. Mutual trust and understanding help both you and our carers to enjoy a stress-free and positive environment together.
Challenges faced by carers
Physical challenges
Carers often work long hours providing hands-on care, such as lifting items or assisting with mobility care, leading to physical exhaustion. Neglecting their health due to a lack of time for self-care can result in chronic illnesses or stress-related conditions.
Emotional
Managing the demands of being a carer can sometimes lead to chronic stress and burnout. Caring for customers with distressed behaviour such as aggression may become emotionally draining, and loneliness can also add to poor mental health if the carer works long hours.
Financial
Many carers may increase their hours to also increase their income, but some may not have this option. Your carer may be dealing with personal financial difficulties that come with their profession, which can lead to increased stress and poor mental health. Help for carers is available at Citizens Advice.
Cultural
In some cultures, discussing illnesses or disabilities may be stigmatised, making it harder to provide care and carers may face criticism in how they do so. Cultural or religious beliefs may be important to some customers on the treatment that is given, which can be a further challenge.
Social
We all know how hard carers work, and some often work long hours. These caregiving responsibilities can reduce the time available for their personal lives and social activities which can lead to feelings of isolation. The demands of caregiving can also put stress on their relationships.
Time management
Caring for someone can be a 24/7 job, leaving little time for personal needs, work, or leisure activities. Many carers juggle caregiving with other responsibilities, such as parenting or professional commitments, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed and an increase in stress.
Challenges of caring for people with dementia
Dementia can be a demanding condition – both for the caregiver and customer.
Caring for someone with dementia involves managing symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and behavioural changes. Often, the high demand for emotional and physical support can be stressful for a carer and lead to burnout. Communication difficulties between a carer and someone living with dementia can create frustration on how to best administer great care to them. While our carers are experts at providing dementia care, it’s handy to recognise that they also face their own challenges.
Challenges of caring for someone with mental illness
Caring for someone with mental illness can be emotionally straining and unpredicatable.
Unpredictable moods, behaviours and communication difficulties can all contribute to a high-stress environment for a carer. While we offer home care that can support mental health alongside other conditions, our carers can sometimes face challenges like exhaustion and frustration. Some mental health conditions can be unpredictable which can be a further cause of workplace pressure for a carer. The demands of managing their medication, ensuring their safety, and navigating stigma from others can all lead to a carer feeling overwhelmed.
How you can support your care provider
Our carers are superb at their jobs, so much so that it can be difficult to realise when they may be struggling. While they’re always in tip-top shape when it comes to caregiving, you can also do things to support them the way they support you.
A fully regulated home care provider
Here at Helping Hands, our service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)
This means we need to consistently meet high standards and are monitored by our regulators.
