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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 20 February 2017

Adveka Foundation, one of the first organizations in India to work primarily with caregivers, hands out tips on self-care and emotional management and how to prevent stress and burnout.

The growing burden of chronic diseases and health care has given rise to a new community that is rapidly gaining in number and significance: The Caregivers.

Caregivers provide support and assistance to individuals suffering from a health issue and those unable to look after themselves. They could either be family, friends or professional caregivers.

Adveka Foundation is the one of the first organizations in India to work primarily with caregivers of people with different physical and mental health issues. We work with relatives and friends who take care of patients as well as associated staff members, doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, caretakers, dieticians, etc. working to support the patient.

Western research has provided innumerable studies showcasing the burden that caregiving carries. Caregivers in any form, be it relatives or medical/paramedical professionals are known to suffer from various mental and physical health issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, cardiovascular diseases, burnout, diabetes, etc. Caregivers are also the least likely group to seek professional help for their health concerns. In India, especially, caregiving in its multitude forms is seen as a duty, tradition and right. Seeking help, then, is viewed as a selfish act- an act that may lead to ignoring the patient.

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“During the course of our preliminary research, we realized that there is limited caregiver research available concerning the Indian population,” says Maitreyi Nigwekar, Founder & CEO, Adveka Foundation. “All research that is caregiver specific has been conducted in countries such as the U.S.A, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. This lack of research shows that we, as a society, have been lacking in our attention to the field of caregivers’ metal health. Therefore, Adveka Foundation is working in collaboration with multiple partners to bring about an inclusive change that caters to the mental health needs of the caregiver population, too, and along the way break biases and reduce prejudices so that caregivers are able to seek the help they need and are in turn better able to care for their loved ones and patients.”

Currently, Adveka conducts workshops for caregivers at -

  1. Aaji Care Home Health Services – Works for senior citizens
  2. Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA)
  3. Cuddles Foundation – Supports children with cancer
  4. ADAPT - Able Disabled All People Together (formerly known as The Spastics Society of India) working for Neuro-Muscular and Developmental Disabilities

Our workshop is developed essentially on two key pillars:

  1. Self-Care
  2. Emotional Management

Our support groups were conducted based on a curriculum that has been specifically designed by us to address the mental health issues of caregivers. These sessions are based solely on issues that are caregiver related and not disease or patient related. Therefore, the support groups were conducted on topics such as self-care, emotional management, burnout, grief, etc.

1)    Self -Care

In the self-care module, the emphasis is on taking care of the self, and looking at simple strategies to prevent burnout. Often the work of caregivers is overwhelming, stressful, repetitive and help is limited which can overburden and lead to burnout.

Signs of Burnout

  • Exhaustion/Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety about work
  • Lack of motivation
  • Loss of patience
  • Indifference/resentment
  • Stress related physical pains (headaches/backaches…)
  • Depression
  • Isolation
  • Feeling of helplessness to change things
  • Negative Emotions

Tips to prevent burnout

  • Go out with friends once a week/month
  • Network with other providers/caregivers
  • Take a walk in your building or garden
  • Read a book
  • Join a gym or exercise
  • Listen to music or just break free and dance like no one is watching!)
  • Grab your laptop and hangout in a coffee shop
  • Go out for dinner/lunch
  • Join a group and interact with people who share similar interests
  • Take a class at a local studio or college
  • Volunteer at an organization you want to support
  • Pursue a hobby

Self-care vs Selfishness

In our workshops we help caregivers identify the difference between self-care and selfishness. It is very important to differentiate between the two. If a caregiver is taking time out for himself/herself or relaxing for a while, it is not being selfish. The caregiver has no reason to feel guilty about not performing or staying away one’s duty. "Short breaks can be calming and put you in a better frame of mind to look after your patient," informs Maitreyi.

2)    Emotional Management

This is a deeper and more complex concept than Self-care. Here we stress on mainly 2 therapies:

  1. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) –
    This focuses on resolving emotional and behavioral problems and disturbances and enabling people to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Often caregivers are burdened by irrational thoughts like – I was not able to make breakfast for my patient or I go out for a movie, therefore I am a bad caregiver or I have failed in my duties.
  2. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) –
    This is essentially a therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It's most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems. It can be an effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.

The Adveka team comprises a Clinical Psychologist, a Counselling Psychologist and a Health Psychologist.

“Listening to others talk about their experiences felt so comforting…” said a participant of our ‘Caring for the Caregiver’ workshop.

Sharing the sentiments, another participant said: “I didn’t realize how important caring for myself and my own emotions was …but I understood that I need to take care of myself too, if I want to put in my best into my helping profession. I don’t have to feel guilty or be angry at myself for thinking about me…In the end, I’d rather take half hour out of my daily schedule for myself than feel the eventual burnout and explode”.

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