The aged care profession is one whose importance is often underestimated and understated in society. The professionals who work at aged care facilities are crucial in maintaining the comfort, medical assistance, and everyday support of our elderly populace. This work can be incredibly rewarding, however, such investment in people’s well-being also comes with its own demands of emotional resilience, long work hours, and physical stamina.

Aged care professionals regularly face burnout and stress, much like other workers in the healthcare industry. With their work so heavily impacting their well-being, and hence the quality of care they provide, it is beneficial to help aged care workers with their self-care strategies. This is why this article explores multiple self-care strategies to aid these professionals in maintaining their health, energy, and emotional balance.

Understanding the Challenges

The challenges that come from the daily responsibilities of an aged care professional are numerous and varied. Typically, these professionals have to face physically demanding tasks like lifting and moving patients, which can cause fatigue or physical strain. They also often deal with emotional stress due to the development of close bonds with residents, who can experience issues with their condition or even pass away.

Burnout becomes prevalent in many aged care facilities when these challenges are combined with the high demands and time constraints of caregiving responsibilities. Depersonalisation, a reduced sense of accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion often characterise this. Hence, it is clear why self-care strategies are so important for elderly caregivers.

The Importance of Self-Care

Self-care should be a holistic approach that balances maintaining physical health, emotional resilience, and professional effectiveness. If caregivers neglect their own needs, they raise the risk of developing burnout, which can then compromise their capability to provide empathetic and effective care.

Thus, aged care workers should be encouraged to include self-care practices in their daily routine to reduce stress and come to work with optimal functions. When carers are well-rested, happy, and prepared to start the day, they enhance their capacity to care for others.

Physical Self-Care Strategies

Self-care often begins with the physical self. When a person does not take care of themselves, their physical well-being is one of the first aspects to suffer as they lose sleep, nutrition, and enjoyment of exercise.

For aged care workers facing burnout, the simplest yet most effective physical self-care strategies are as follows:

Regular Exercise

Just a simple daily walk or bout of elevated heart rate is a powerful stress reliever and energy booster, among many other benefits. When physical fitness is improved, caregivers can find themselves less stressed, fatigued, or incapable of providing compassionate care to aged care facility residents.

Healthy Nutrition

What food we eat can have a strong impression on our daily abilities and general mood. The demanding workdays of aged care professionals can be navigated with more energy and ease when they are eating a balanced diet. The addition of maintaining hydration and avoiding excessive caffeine and sugar can also help maintain steady energy levels.

Adequate Rest

The benefits of quality sleep for professional aged carers cannot be overstated as nightly rest provides the chance for people to physically and mentally recover. All caregivers should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night and aim to maintain a consistent sleep routine. Short breaks should also be included throughout the day to recharge energy levels and maintain quality care.

Ergonomic Practices

While regular exercise can support caregivers during their daily physical tasks, further strain can be prevented by using ergonomic practices. This can be as simple as using proper lifting techniques for equipment to manning ergonomic tools when moving patients. Regular stretching and strengthening exercises can also aid in the maintenance of musculoskeletal health.

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Emotional and Mental Self-Care Strategies

Self-care extends beyond physical well-being into maintaining both emotional and mental health. Aged care professionals are often required to help support residents with their mental health challenges, but this does not mean they should neglect their own well-being to succeed in this.

Provided below are a range of self-care strategies focused on improving a caregiver’s emotional and mental health while continuing their professional work.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness has become an integral part of many mental health strategies. When used alongside meditation or deep breathing exercises, caregivers can manage their stress levels and stay present in any given moment, no matter how confronting. With the high level of compassion required in aged care work, such techniques are useful in reducing anxiety and promoting emotional balance.

Counselling and Support Groups

If individual mental health strategies are not aiding caregivers, they should be provided the opportunity to express their concerns and emotions in a safe space. This means creating chances to talk to a mental health professional or joining a support group.

These spaces allow caregivers to express feelings, share experiences, and receive guidance that they would not normally achieve in the workplace or at home. Connecting with others who understand the challenges of caregiving can reduce feelings of isolation and allow them to enjoy their work once more.

Setting Boundaries

With the amount of empathy and time put into caring for the elderly, aged care workers need to establish clear boundaries between their work and personal lives. This helps to prevent burnout while also allowing them to enjoy their free time. Caregivers should be encouraged to always allocate time for hobbies, social activities, and relaxation outside of work.

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Professional Self-Care Strategies

Caregivers’ self-care strategies do not always have to be their responsibility. Workplaces like aged care facilities should also be capable of providing professional support for their employees to ensure a positive and effective work environment.

Ongoing Education and Training

Some caregivers may find themselves experiencing stress when they do not feel confident or competent in their roles. To prevent this sense of inadequacy, facilities can provide further education on industry practices and techniques. This can boost confidence levels and allow caregivers to remain on top of their work responsibilities.

Supervision and Mentorship

On top of educational efforts, aged care facilities should also provide mentoring support and feedback regularly. This oversight through regular check-ins can prevent caregivers’ concerns from going unaddressed and grant them guidance to overcome potential challenges. From there, caregivers can develop effective professional coping mechanisms and build a strong internal support network.

Time Management

Stress levels can rise in workers when they are under strict time constraints and/or missing deadlines. When workplaces efficiently manage work tasks and responsibilities, the company as a whole can enjoy less stress.

This can be done by prioritising tasks, appropriately delegating workloads, and allowing everyone to take regular breaks. In turn, these strategies can improve productivity and prevent burnout.

Workplace Wellness Programs

Offering workplace wellness programs is another professional strategy that aged care facilities should consider utilising. Fitness classes, mental health workshops, and relaxation activities can all aid in the support of caregivers' well-being.

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Conclusion

The first step towards providing better care for aged care residents is ensuring that the caregivers are also being cared for. Empathetic and effective care cannot be provided to the residents when the workers themselves are burnt out and dealing with poor physical health.

By implementing many of the self-care strategies in this blog post and creating a supportive work environment, caregivers can find their well-being improving massively. In the demanding field of aged care, taking time to care for oneself is not a luxury but a necessity, so facilities should begin strategising now to get ahead of their workers’ well-being.

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