GEM Healthcare Services > Blog > caregiver burnout

caregiver burnout

GEM Healthcare Services > Blog > caregiver burnout
AdobeStock 638125363 (1)
Aging in place, Home care

Making plans for aging in place 

What to do when seniors say the only way they’ll leave home is ‘in a box’

When individuals express the idea that they want to stay in their own home until they die, family members must navigate the complexities of simultaneously respecting the person’s autonomy, ensuring safety, and managing ethical issues. 

The desire to age at home typically stems from wanting to stay where things are familiar and comfortable. It can be very hard for older people to admit they can no longer manage to live independently and many seniors do not acknowledge the risks of caregiver burnout when caring for a spouse until they are completely overwhelmed. 

“I hear this wish about aging in place expressed a lot, but people haven’t always thought it through, says Gaye Moffett, founder, president and CEO of GEM Health Care Services. “It is possible to stay in your own home until the end,” she adds, “but people need to understand the impacts—financially, emotionally and physically.”

GEM Health Care Services has some practical advice to offer when navigating this situation: 

Communication is key

  • Communicate collaboratively: Consider questions like, “What home care supports can we organize together to make sure you’re safe here?” 
  • Research options together: Modern senior living options may be unfamiliar. Taking a tour with aging parents can help them better weigh the benefits of making a move versus staying at home.
  • Consider the financial aspects: Gaye notes that a conversation she has often with families includes helping to identify the costs of home health care services versus retirement homes.

Important logistical steps

  • Conduct a safety audit and implement needed modifications: GEM can recommend home safety audit providers; they can identify and address physical risks, including necessary home modifications as well as monitoring services.  
  • Consider a gradual introduction of in-home care services: Seniors are often more willing to accept help if they understand it’s part of what is necessary to stay in their own home. A good way to begin is with house cleaning or social companionship, just some of the services GEM provides, or other non-medical services like grocery or meal delivery. 
  • Contact Ontario Health atHome: this organization coordinates local home and community care, long-term care placement and accessing community supports; they can also help families with equipment related to home health care.
  • Create a back-up plan: It’s crucial to understand what needs to happen should the primary caregiver become incapacitated due to illness or injury. GEM can help organize care in an emergency, but it’s always better to have a plan in place.

“We have encountered this aging at home situation hundreds of times over the past 30+ years GEM has been in business,” notes Gaye. “We have loads of experience working collaboratively with families plus medical and other professionals to implement a geriatric care management plan and ensure regular re-evaluations of the plan as needs evolve.”


“Aging in place can work for most families, with proper planning and execution,” Gaye confirms. “We have a wealth of knowledge to share, such as important questions to ask your accountant about tax benefits related to home health care. We can even facilitate some of the difficult conversations families in this situation typically need to have.”

Elderly person with caregivers
Advocacy, Family

How GEM can help you avoid caregiver burnout

Caring for a family member of any age with complex needs can be exhausting. The long-haul routine of managing medications, appointments, emotional support and physical requirements such as bathing, dressing and meals, not to mention the myriad other tasks that caregivers find on their plates, can feel relentless.

All too often, people find themselves buried so deep by the caregiver role that looking after their own physical and mental health falls by the wayside.

According to Statistics Canada, roughly 8 million people – or one in four adults – are caregivers who provide unpaid support to family members or friends with long-term health conditions, disabilities, or aging-related needs.

The data indicates that 1.5 million of these caregivers are seniors (65+), and about 52% of all caregivers are women. No doubt a large percentage of these caregivers are experiencing burnout.

The good news is that there is a solution. GEM Health Care Services’ trained, experienced professionals can help you shoulder the load and reduce the risk of burnout, or help while you recover from burnout.

Our team includes registered nurses (RNs), registered practical nurses (RPNs), personal support workers (PSWs), as well as companions/sitters. Below are just some of the ways GEM can make caregiving less stressful and exhausting:

  • Respite care: GEM’s trained professionals can take over many of the daily tasks of caregiving, allowing family members to rest, run errands, enjoy uninterrupted leisure activities or take vacations. This can include a wide range of activities including bathing, dressing, administering medication, housekeeping, meal preparation and more.
  • Setting boundaries: Our assessment process is designed to help families identify what they can realistically handle in terms of caregiving support and to identify appropriate tasks to delegate.
  • Flexible scheduling: Even if your support needs fluctuate, we can help. GEM offers both flexible, short-term options as well as regular, longer-term care to respond to the family caregiver’s need for assistance and time off.
  • Education and training: Our trained professionals can help caregivers be more effective in their role, by providing training on such techniques as managing dementia or safe medication administration. Our knowledge sharing is intended to increase caregiver confidence while simultaneously reducing stress for both the caregiver and their loved one.
  • Continuous communication: We hold regular check ins as a team to monitor not only the client’s well-being, but also that of the family caregiver(s). Many families tell us they feel so grateful for the dedicated support and advice they receive from GEM, noting that it reduces their sense of isolation.

Caregiver burnout is real and can manifest itself in both physical and emotional exhaustion. Not only does this put the caregiver’s health at risk, it also can jeopardize their ability to provide the amount and quality of care needed.

Contact GEM to learn more about how our one-on-one support can help both you and your loved one. You can count on us every step of the way as you navigate your caregiving journey.