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Both my parents are gone I am the only grand child and I left my home in Florida to come to NJ and take care of my 100 year old grandmother. nursing home is not an option for her and my cousin and aunt who were taking care of her can no longer take care of her. How do I avoid burn out?

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Curious, who takes care of your Grandmother when you are at work? Or is she able to fend for herself around the house. If so, that is awesome at her age.

Caregiving is like having a full-time job in itself, especially if you are unable to get a full nights sleep. I was working full-time and my aging parents lived in their own home [mid to late 90's] and could fend for themselves, but running errands in my free time, burnt me out before too long. And I was taking too much time off from work and that caused major issues at work.

Why is an Assisted Living facility not an option? Is it the cost? If your grandmother can apply and be accepted by Medicaid, she could go into a nursing home, Medicaid will pay for her care. But at her age, if Grandmother can afford caregivers, it's better to keep her at home.

The only way to balance working outside of the home and caregiving when you get home is to set boundaries. But it is so hard to say "no" to ones elder :(
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Thanks so much for your answer. I am able to work virtual. I am a corporate travel agent so I am working from her home. But account that I do travel for is very busy. I am lucky that I work for a great company and understanding boss. I have only been here for 3 weeks and am exhausted. She can no longer live alone because of falls and forgetting to turn stove off and water off as well. She does not want to go anywhere but her home.
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You need to determine the resources available in your area for her care, an unskilled "sitter" is fine if all she needs is a watchful eye, a trained aide is more appropriate if she needs help with ANY of her ADLs. Plan for as much away time as you (she) can possibly afford so you don't end up feeling like you are under house arrest. Sometimes the first weeks are the hardest until everyone becomes accustomed to the new routine.
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The number one factor to avoid burnout is respite. You have to have some time to yourself. Someone else needs to look after grandma for a weekend once in a while. You need to be able to keep going to your bookclub or hockey games or whatever you are passionate about.

Often this respite is provided by family members. When that is not possible you need to make other arrangements. Did/does GM belong to a church? Can they arrange some home visits? Is there a volunteer organization that supplies companions for a few hours at a time, for a nominal fee? Paying for a few hours or a few days of respite now and then can save your sanity. (This should come out of GM's funds.)
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