Being At The Front Lines

Every day, professional caregivers are at the front-lines of helping those with dementia. Whether it’s managing challenging behaviours, such as wandering and agitation. Helping with daily functions, such as meal times and going to the bathroom. Addressing concerns and problem-solving, or simply helping to put a smile on a resident’s face. However, as the rate of Alzheimer’s disease continues to rise, pressures faced by caregivers in the workplace have also grown rapidly. It left them feeling overwhelmed, demoralized, and exhausted at the end of the day.

The Burnout

The problem of caregiver burnout was recently highlighted in a study by the University of Lethbridge. It showed that three-quarters of care home nurses in Southern Alberta, who treat residents with dementia, experience frequent distress. Subjects reported feeling emotionally, physically, and psychologically overburdened. And reduced job satisfaction left many feeling as if they wanted to escape the workplace. One-third of the nurses studied also adopted unhealthy behaviours, such as bad sleeping habits, as a result of stress.

A lack of time and resources were identified as the main culprits for the moral distress felt by the nurses. Not being able to provide the care they knew their patients needed. It resulted in feelings of powerlessness and frustration. Some even mentioned having to choose between which patients to tend to when both needed care, due to understaffing.

Supportive Measures

So how can caregiver stress be combated? Encouraging caregivers to engage in self-care. Getting proper sleep, eating healthy, and using breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques can be effective. However, supportive measures at residential care facilities are also imperative. Those recommended in the study included hiring more staff, having a manager available to talk to about challenges, and having access to more training and support.

Taking care of our caregivers is not only important in making care homes a better place to live in and work in. But it is also a vital part of the larger dialogue on how to best address the public health crisis of Alzheimer’s. As reflected by the study, the well-being of those with dementia is dependent on the well-being of the caregivers who care for them.