What is caregiver burnout?

Caregiver burnout is the depletion that builds in people providing ongoing care for a family member — an aging parent, ill partner, or sibling. The demands are relentless and largely invisible, and over time the giver runs dry.

What are the signs of caregiver burnout?

Common signs include resentment toward the person you care for followed by guilt, neglecting your own health, feeling trapped with no end in sight, and exhaustion that sleep does not fix.

How do you cope with caregiver burnout?

Begin by asking what care you need this week, not only what others need from you. Recovery depends on building in regular respite, accepting outside help, and protecting some space where you can recover.

Is caregiver burnout the same as compassion fatigue?

They overlap but are not identical. Compassion fatigue is the emotional cost of empathising with suffering, while caregiver burnout is the broader physical, emotional, and identity depletion from sustained caregiving.

Caregiver Burnout — Symptoms, Causes & Recovery

Learn about caregiver burnout: what it feels like, who it affects, and how to recover. Plain-English guide by Mat Gil.

Take the free burnout quiz — 10 questions, 2 minutes