By: Mary Kate Maloney
The Building for Change campaign is The Arc Pikes Peak Region’s project to renovate its current offices to create a 100%-accessible life-skills resource center to promote and protect the human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Building for Change also aims to support caregivers of people with I/DD. The facility will be a space where caregivers can socialize, relax, and connect with The Arc about any challenges they may be facing in their profession. Below, Wilfred Romero, executive director of The Arc Pikes Peak Region, is interviewed about care giving and some of the hardships that caregivers face.
Mary Kate Maloney (MKM), Colorado College public interest fellow: What are some problems caregivers face every day?
Wilfred Romero (WR): The biggest problem is that caregivers don’t recognize the signs of caregiver burnout. They don’t realize that they’re not taking care of themselves, in terms of exercise, diet, sleep, mental health, etc. There is a fear that no one can provide for the person they serve with the same attentiveness and care as they themselves do. Caregivers who don’t recognize the signs of caregiver burnout may become disabled themselves. In the process of caring for another individual, they put immense strain on their own body. For example, the repeated lifting of a wheelchair could cause back injury, inhibiting the caregiver from providing for the person they serve or working altogether.
MKM: What is caregiver burnout?
WF: Caregiver burnout is a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion due to the stressors of the care giving experience. Family caregivers and caregivers who are very passionate in the field are most at risk for caregiver burnout. When caregivers neglect their own needs, it has negative consequences for both the caregiver and the person receiving services. For one, the stresses of care giving reveal a high turnover rate for those in the profession. This scenario has negative consequences for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, because there are people constantly rotating in and out of their lives. This forces individuals in need of services to constantly retell their story and adapt to a new caregiver.
MKM: How will Building for Change (BFC) assist caregivers and alleviate these problems?
WF: BFC will provide respite opportunities for caregivers with an emphasis on self-care. BFC will be a place where caregivers can socialize, relax, and take a break from caring for another individual. These respite opportunities will not be classes, but rather a space where fellow caregivers can discuss and relate about challenges they face in their profession. The BFC campaign will also offer financial resources for caregivers in need. BFC intends to be proactive rather than reactive in its approach toward caregiver burnout as burnout can manifest in frustrations taken out against the people they serve. To protect caregivers and the people they serve, The Arc will use BFC to educate on signs of burnout early and offer respite/resources to those in need.
For additional information on this topic, click here.
To donate to Building for Change, click here.
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