As many as 6 million people in the UK act as carers for family members. Tragically, through providing help for loved ones in poor health, many of these carers develop health problems of their own.
The mental and physical strains of providing care for someone are considerable, yet because the needs of the person being cared for seem greater it’s often the case that health problems in caregivers are overlooked. This can be particularly true of older carers. A survey by the Princess Royal Trust of carers over 60 showed that half felt their health had deteriorated over the previous year, whilst a third had cancelled operations and treatments because of their caring responsibilities.
If you provide care for someone it is crucial for both you and the person you care for that you look after your health, so you need to be alert to the dangers and take all appropriate action to protect yourself.
Carers’ Health Problems
Carers are vulnerable to an extremely wide range of health problems:
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Depression & Anxiety. The poor health of the person for whom you are caring can be reason enough to develop depression, but added to this is the fact your life can become consumed by caring responsibilities and without respite this can seriously affect your mental wellbeing. This can be particularly true for people caring for sufferers of dementia, where the emotional trauma can be immense.
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Exhaustion. Providing care is time-consuming and frequently physically demanding, especially in later life. Without proper rest this can quickly start to have an impact on your health.
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Back & Joint Problems. The physical demands of lifting, prolonged standing and generally being busy in the process of caring can take its toll. This goes beyond stiff backs – carers have reported problems with crumbling spines and knee joints that have simply worn out.
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Weakened Immune System. A common result of the bodily stresses of caring is an immune system that is no longer able to fight infection effectively. The carer is then far more vulnerable to bugs and viruses, such as flu.
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Poor Nutrition. Carers will do their utmost to ensure the person they care for has good nutrition but will often neglect their own. Often this is linked to depression and stress, which can reduce appetite; sometimes it will be down to having so much to do the carer skips meals or grabs something quick and unhealthy. Both weight gain and weight loss can be symptoms of this.
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Lack of Sleep. Many carers need to get up during the night to help their loved one. Others will find the stress of caring is making it difficult to sleep. Over time, this will damage your health.
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High Blood Pressure. Problems with high blood pressure can be worsened with the stresses brought on by a caring role. This can put the carer at greater risk of suffering a stroke or developing heart disease.
You should be alert to all these problems, many of which can develop over a long period of time, making them less obvious. Health charities have called on carers to be given a health screening every year, but you should certainly discuss any concerns with your doctor.
The last thing you should do is ignore problems because you don’t want to risk treatment which will interrupt your ability to provide care. Necessary treatment and appropriate precautionary measures will enable you to care for your loved one more effectively and for longer. Ignore problems and you could find yourself being unable to do anything as a consequence.
Keeping Healthy as a Carer
There are various strategies you can adopt which will help you stay healthy in your care-giving role. However, the most important thing of all is to keep reminding yourself that this is important! Don’t let the needs of the person you are caring for smother your own; you must be determined for everyone’s benefit to keep control.
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Define the Job. Let’s be clear – what you are doing is a job and just like in the workplace you can’t have an open-ended role. You need to set out carefully exactly what you are going to do as a carer and stick to it. Be realistic and sensible, making sure you leave time for you to enjoy life as well. And if your role isn’t enough then...
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Ask for Help. It’s unlikely you can do it all, so you need help. There is no shame in asking for help – never think this should be your responsibility alone. Family and friends can get your shopping along with their own, or come in on set days to give you a rest. Speak with your local authority to see what help is available from them and see what charities and support groups in your area would be able to do.
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Make Room for ‘Me Time’. It’s easy to lose yourself in your care-giving role, so you must set times to do things for yourself. Whatever you enjoy doing to relax, make sure you devote proper time for doing it. Crucially, part of this should involve leaving the home and enjoying a change of scene. It should also involve other people so you can have a decent chat.
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Exercise. You may feel you get enough exercise from providing care, but this isn’t truly healthy exercise, it’s just exertion! Make time for an enjoyable walk; join a local gym or fitness group; go swimming; join a dance group. This will help your frame of mind and also protect you from injury when caring by strengthening your body.
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Eat Healthily. Even if you don’t feel like it, make sure you have three healthy meals a day, including fruit and veg! Plenty of water, too!
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Alternative Therapies. Activities such as yoga, meditation, aromatherapy and reflexology can all help you relax and ease the strain.
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Speak With Your Doctor. It’s important to monitor your physical health, so talk with your GP and flag up any issues you may have. He or she will make sure you’re not letting your health suffer through caring.
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Support Groups. There are numerous groups designed to help carers nationwide. You can check online or with your local authority about those available close to you. You can also find this information - as well as plenty of other useful advice and help – from online groups such as Carers UK and The Princess Royal Trust. There you will also find online forums where you can read the thoughts of other carers and share your own.
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Never Feel You’re Alone; Never Feel You Don’t Do Enough; Never Suffer in Silence. Reach out to others and find the support you need.
In-Home Care from Nobilis
There are clearly many strategies for coping as a carer. Sometimes, though, your own health, the demands of your life or the deterioration of the person for whom you care mean it’s time to look for other options.
At Nobilis, we know only too well the difficulties experienced by carers and we understand how difficult it can be to accept it’s time to ask professionals for assistance. Our in-home care services are designed to work with you, providing exactly the level of support you need, and we are happy to visit you and discuss what you want in order to make the future not simply something to manage, but something to enjoy for you and your loved one.
Even if you aren’t interested in our services, we also have every sympathy for the difficulties you may be going through and we’re happy to share our experience and advice without any sales pitch or obligation. Feel free to call and our friendly, knowledgeable team will be there.
You can contact us on 0845 680 0225