The cause is often care demands (i.e. tasks to be done) exceeding care giving capacity (i.e. time, energy and other resources to get the job done). Small excesses are OK now and then, but if demands continually exceed capacity, then quality of care will suffer, and burnout becomes a very real risk. No one wants an abrupt and traumatic end to care at home because of burnout. It is preventable.

There are ways to increase your caregiving capacity by, for example, being better organized, using handy tools and sharing the care with others. These solutions reduce the likelihood and impact of:

• unfamiliar situations, conditions, activities and decisions
• changes in priorities, schedules, emotions and relationships
• declining physical, social and psychological conditions 
• unexpected costs

When your caregiving capacity is adequate (i.e. things are under control), you can enjoy the rewards of caregiving, such as:

• doing a job well
• being appreciated
• gaining new skills and working with others
• building resilience, tolerance, flexibility and empathy
• finding new meaning, values and perspectives in your own life
• offering a compassionate service to someone you care about greatly

With that goal in mind, making sure that capacity always exceeds care demands, let's look at some tools that can make caregiving easier.