Online burnout test aims to boost carer wellbeing
In an attempt to help carers better look after their own wellbeing, The CareSide has developed a new tool to self-assess burnout risk.
Caring for loved ones and family members can be both rewarding and challenging, but if carers can recognise the signs of burnout they can also seek out additional support when necessary.
The CareSide chief executive officer Gareth Mahon said many of their clients are unpaid carers supporting an ageing family member and are struggling to meet their own daily needs, This has encouraged the home and disability care provider to develop a self-assessment tool that can identify risk of burnout.
The CareSide is also in the process of creating a match-making tool for home care recipients and carers, by matching people through their preferences and personalities.
“Humans are hardwired to overestimate how much we can get done in a given day. We think we can always do more. That’s an admirable perspective, but it’s not necessarily grounded in reality,” Mr Mahon told Community Care Review.
“We developed this burnout tool to help draw a line in the sand and remove some of the subjectivity for unpaid carers. This way, they get an objective assessment of their level of burnout and do not feel guilty if they need to change their routine or get outside help to support their loved one.”
Last year, The CareSide published a study about burnout levels experienced by unpaid carers and Mr Mahon told CCR that while awareness about carer burnout has since been raised, it is unclear if the study results influenced any behavioural changes.
“We’re hoping this online tool takes the next step and not only helps diagnose problems but also offers solutions that ultimately lead to healthy changes and more balanced lives for unpaid carers,” he said.
Tackling loneliness amongst carers
Carers are more than three times more likely to report high levels of loneliness compared to the average Australian adult, the Carer Wellbeing Survey 2024 found, with 40 per cent of carers indicating they were often or always lonely.
The survey also found that carers who were often or always lonely in 2024 were four times more likely to have low levels of wellbeing compared to carers who were rarely lonely.
Loneliness and burnout may seem apparent from the outside looking in, but those conditions can be more challenging to pinpoint when you are the one experiencing the symptoms, Mr Mahon explained to CCR – as it is something that gradually builds over time rather than an acute injury.
“It’s almost as if humans are great at realising when others are struggling, but sometimes we lack self-awareness when we’re the ones who are affected,” he said.
“Our aim with this tool and the caregiver-client matching tool we are developing is to help unpaid carers become more aware of the loneliness they are experiencing – to help them feel comfortable delegating some of their responsibilities to a person they can trust who fits the personality and lifestyle needs of their loved one.”
The free assessment tool takes just two minutes and responses are private and not stored.
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