OPINION — For more than 63 million Americans, daily life includes providing ongoing care for adult or minor family members with a medical condition or disability.
This extraordinary act of service provides much-needed support for a loved one, but it can also lead family caregivers to put their own well-being to the side, leading to burnout that affects physical and mental health.
Caregiver burnout is the physical, mental and emotional fatigue someone experiences when providing long-term care for another person. Often stemming from a combination of factors that include emotional strain, financial burdens and the demands of providing care, burnout compromises the ability to care for oneself, provide care for their loved one and can affect the overall quality of life.