No matter why you became a caregiver, you thought you were doing the right thing in the beginning. Whether you’re caring for a loved one or an elderly patient who hired you, there are going to be moments when you feel overwhelmed, when you honestly don’t know if you could do this type of work anymore, and when you feel that it’s time to give up.

Weak people just stopping showing up. Immature people try to avoid the calls from their elderly patient or their family members. That’s not how you deal with the stress of being a home care provider.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or that the experiences that you’re having with the elderly patient is too much, then you need to sit down and have an honest conversation, not only with the elderly patient but their family as well as the agency (if you were hired through an agency).

For the sake of this article, let’s assume that you were taking care of a family member. It could be an aging parent or grandparent. You agreed to take care of them, to provide care at home for them because they were comfortable with you and didn’t want to consider hiring a stranger to come to their home and work with them.

You didn’t know what to expect because you had never done this type of work before, but one thing became clear early on: this was probably going to be more than you can handle.

Schedule a time to sit down and talk to someone else in your family, along with the elderly loved one who requires this care. You could have this conversation while talking over dinner at the patient’s home.

Be honest about your experiences. Talk about your concerns, your fears, and the stress that you’re feeling now. There may be an easy solution to the situation. You may be encouraged to step back and let someone else help.

If you’re worried that your elderly loved one will be insulted that you don’t want to be his or her caregiver any longer, you’re likely worrying for no reason. In truth, what most of our family members want for us is for us to be happy and content throughout life.

When you’re not honest about what you’re going through, if you just ‘grin and bear it,’ you’re going to actually find that the quality of care declines and that ends up putting your loved one at greater risk. Be honest; you might actually be surprised by the support and understanding you receive.

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Donna Wrabel, LMSW

Co-Owner at At Your Side Home Care

For most of us, the word "home" evokes warm feelings of comfort, security and well-being. For older adults, home also means holding tight to cherished memories and maintaining self-esteem and independence. When illness, injury or age make life a little more challenging, remaining at home in a comfortable, familiar environment encourages recovery and enhances the quality of life. Home can be defined as a private residence, an independent or assisted living facility or even a short term stay in the hospital, we recognize the additional benefits provided by a personal, professional assistant.

Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.

Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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