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Psychological problems
What makes home care so stressful?
Caring for someone at home can be mentally and physically very stressful. It takes place in a close relationship between you and the person you are caring for. It cannot be taken for granted. But because you are a relative or in a very close relationship with each other, you feel responsible for providing care. You have a close bond with the person you are caring for. They depend on you for a large part of their life, which can lead to gratitude but also to frustration on both sides. At the same time, caring is probably not the only responsibility you have in your life: you may have (other) children to raise, you may have to care for your parents at the same time and you may also be in the middle of your professional life. Thus, many carers report feelings of being overwhelmed. If you feel the same, you are not alone.
Link to video pill: mental care and self-care
Why might psychological support be useful?
A diagnosis of a serious illness or disability within your family is often a shock for itself. Entire life plans may have to be rethought and adapted. As a family carer, you suddenly take on responsibility not only for the health care of another person, but also for all other areas of life such as family, social life and work. Your own social life will probably also change, and your job might have to be adapted too. Despite everything, try not to neglect your own physical and mental health. Take care of yourself too! If you feel mentally stressed, don’t be afraid to ask for psychological help.
Psychological support can help you to:
- cope better with the diagnosis of the care receiver,
- solve problems that have arisen within your family as a result of the care situation,
- restore your own mental health and thus be able to
- face the care situation with more strength and joy again.
How common are psychological problems among informal caregivers?
In addition to the physical exertion, it is above all the high time commitment in home care that can be stressful. Professional and private interests often have to be neglected. Other family members receive less attention than before. In addition, there is the constant worry about the health of the person in need of care. As if that wasn’t enough, there may also be worries about financial burdens and the stress of constantly having to deal with the bureaucracy. For the caregivers, this unfortunately often means getting into a state where they themselves always have to “function”. There is hardly any room left for their own mental balance.
Look how Paula felt, caring for her husband after his stroke and what she would have liked to have to improve her situation. Her husband got a stroke in his forties and had several physical impairments afterwards. Both have been in the middle of their vocational career and their son was a teenager.
[Paula]
What can you do for your own mental wellbeing?
- Listen to your own body and soul: how does it feel? Do you need to rest or are you full of energy? Be mindful of yourself!
- Build in regular breaks and times that are good for you. Meet your needs and consciously allow yourself to rest and relax. The best way to do this is to build rituals into your everyday life: a cup of tea in the morning or a regular meeting with friends in a café? Do something you like! If necessary, ask friends and relatives for help with care during this time or find out what professional support is available.
- Pay attention to what your own stress signals look like: do you tend to get irritated or sad? Do you feel physically worse or does your sleeping behaviour change? Do you increasingly consume addictive substances in stressful situations? Get to know yourself so that you can better categorise your feelings: is a short break enough or do I need outside help? Don’t be afraid to seek psychological help if you are under a lot of stress.
Good Practices
Psychologist bonus 2024. INPS portal
Caregivers and people with disabilities can access the government bonus for psychological support if they meet certain requirements.
Psyned
Psyned aims to make psychological help more accessible. On their website you can directly plan a consultation and start a trajectory, without a waitlist. Link here.
Pflegen-und-Leben.de
Pflegen-und-leben.de is a non-profit online psychological counselling service for carers and families. People with statutory health insurance who are caring for loved ones in need of care receive personalised help from specially trained psychologists – whether they are spouses or partners, parents, (adult) children or grandchildren. The help is available digitally and at a low threshold and comprises up to six sessions. The counselling is provided by a team of specially trained psychologists. Link here.
Telefonseelsorge (crisis line)
If you are in a crisis, you can call the crisis line. You can get free counselling around the clock on 0800 – 111 0 111 or 0800 – 111 0 222. The counselling is always anonymous and free of charge. The Samaritan telephone service can also be reached by mail and chat.
Please take in mind: The work is supported by the Christian churches in Germany. It is an expression of the pastoral responsibility of the Protestant and Catholic churches: Link here.
Network of Local Municipalities Caring for Informal Carers
Establishment of a network of municipalities aimed at supporting informal caregivers, particularly in terms of caregiver respite, provision of psychological support by specialized professionals, and creation of self-help groups for caregivers, among other forms of support. Link here.
App Mental Health P5
An app that allows the user, not necessarily an informal caregiver, to self-assess anxious and depressive symptoms. It provides access to tools for emotional management, improving sleep, and adopting healthy lifestyles. Link here.
Line of Hope
Emotional support service for adults. Mental health professionals and volunteers provide anonymous, free emotional support services for adults. You can call, email or use live chat. Link here.
Outpatient mental health services which are allocated across all Lithuania
Mental health services are provided at the primary level in outpatient mental health centres. They are operated by interdisciplinary teams including a psychiatrist, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses. Link here.
Providing early intervention services
The purpose of the services is to provide the necessary early help as early as possible to people in crisis who show signs of disability. Link here.
List of Materials
Forum for Family- House of Awakenings project.
Web-based mutual self-help group for caregivers of persons with severe acquired brain damage.
Existing and proposed legislation on the figure of the family caregiver
Psychosocial support measures for the caregiver can be identified within the existing legislation.
Overview of subsidised health insurance offers in the area of health prevention (exercise, nutrition, relaxation)
Depending on your health insurance, the online portals offer an overview of a variety of quality-approved health courses, like training courses to relax, that are subsidised by your respective health insurance providers.
The importance of breathing
It aims to empower informal carers in the area of disability, namely by explaining techniques about the process of breathing, as well as explaining the relationship between breathing and health. It also gives suggestions on how to manage stress in everyday life and relaxation tips. It also gives planning strategies and reminds about of the importance of organising our routine and how to do it best: link here.
Carer´s Manual – Take Care of Yourself
This is a practical illustrated guide for carers, which aims to support informal carers by alerting them to various issues that can compromise their well-being and, in this way, contribute to improving their quality of life and that of the dependent person they care for. Video
Information about possibilities to get psychological help.
How to stay well while caring for a family member?
Here’s a website with information on how to take care about your self when caring for a sick relative. Also, there is contact information about the possibilities for psychological counseling.
Connected topics
How to combine caregiving with family
How to arrange and finance inhouse help
How to deal with the loss of independence (from both perspectives)
The risks of loneliness and the importance of talking about your situation.
Psychological problems of caregivers
Combining work with informal care
Available courses/therapies on relevant topics
What kind of support measures are available for in-house help