Caring for an aging parent is one of the most important and meaningful roles a person can have, but it is also incredibly difficult to juggle all the responsibilities and stress.
There is a Santa Cruz caregiver crisis because it has a large senior demographic: over 72,000 residents who are 60 or older (more than a quarter of residents), and many of these seniors have care needs. Other causes of the caregiving crisis include family strain, high turnover from caregivers (which leaves people waiting for care), and caregiver burnout.
There are steps that families can take to avoid a caregiving crisis, such as knowing the warning signs of caregiver burnout, sharing responsibilities and expanding the care team, and caregivers focusing on maintaining their own health and well-being.
What are the effects of being a caregiver?
Caregiving is a huge undertaking. A 2025 caregiving report found caregivers spend an average of 27 hours per week providing care (with 24% of caregivers spending 40 or more hours a week). Caregiving can affect many aspects of a caregiver’s life, including:
- Employment: Half of all working caregivers have reported impacts on their employment from juggling responsibilities.
- Financial: Nearly half of caregivers report 1 or more negative financial consequences (such as increased debt or less savings).
- Mental health: A survey reports that 42% of caregivers feel constantly or frequently overwhelmed by their duties.
- Physical health: Many caregivers become so focused on their loved one’s health that they neglect their own by not eating right, exercising, or going to the doctor. This can lead to caregivers reporting that one in five rate their health as fair or poor and nearly a quarter have difficulty caring for themselves.
These effects can culminate with a person experiencing caregiver burnout, which the Cleveland Clinic defines as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caregivers experience. This type of exhaustion does not improve with sleep and can cause serious harm.
1. Watch for caregiver burnout signs
Caregiver burnout can come on gradually, but it is a common occurrence. According to the Cleveland Clinic, more than 60% of caregivers experience caregiver burnout at some point. The first step to prevent caregiver burnout is to recognize the signs:
- emotional and physical exhaustion
- physical ailments (such as fatigue, headaches, and body aches)
- sadness, depression, or feeling overwhelmed
- social withdrawal or isolation from friends and family
- withdrawing from hobbies
- lack of interest or motivation
- feeling hopeless or helpless
- changes in appetite/weight and sleep
- difficulty concentrating
- being negative
- being in denial
- frequently getting sick
- being irritable, frustrated, resentful, or angry
- feeling anxious, numb, afraid, or guilty
Many caregivers can feel guilty for taking time for themselves and ignore their needs because they believe their loved one must come first, but taking care of yourself is essential, not selfish. Caregivers are people worthy of care and good health just like their loved ones.
Avoiding caregiver burnout is also in the best interest of the person receiving care since caregivers in burnout cannot provide quality care. Think of the analogy of how on airplanes you are told in the case of an emergency to put on your oxygen mask first, and then you can help others. Caregivers have to take care of themselves first to effectively take care of others.
Check in with other caregivers and yourself to monitor the situation and get help before you reach burnout.
2. Assess needs and write down all care tasks
It is easier to ask for help if you have a clear picture of your loved one’s care needs. Be precise and detailed here. Write down everything that you or other caregivers do, including:
- Keeping the home safe from fall hazards
- Transportation
- Grocery shopping
- Meal prep
- Housekeeping
- Running errands
- Helping with activities of daily living: eating, moving around, going to the bathroom, bathing, grooming, and getting dressed
- Handling finances
- Organizing medical and legal documents: insurance cards, living will, power of attorney, benefits checks
- Scheduling appointments
- Medication management: calling to renew prescriptions, picking up at pharmacy, safely storing medicines, and reminding your loved one to take the correct dose at the correct time
- Addressing incontinence
- Helping them engage in their hobbies or socialize
- Providing companionship and emotional support
- Supervision
Create a calendar for when you do all these things, so you can share this calendar and delegate tasks with the expanded care team.
3. Expand the caregiver team
To start expanding your caregiver team, talk to friends and family to see who can help with what. Even loved ones who don’t live nearby can help with researching, coordinating, and scheduling care. Learn more about how to help from a distance.
Making caregiving a team project instead of having a singular default caregiver can relieve a ton of the stress.
As much as people care and want to help, people also have busy lives, jobs, kids, and other responsibilities. That is why it is important to find help caring for an aging parent with outside resources and professional caregivers.
Let’s look at some resources in Santa Cruz for different care tasks:
- Being compensated for providing care: The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program
- Meal support:
- Community Bridges (Meals on Wheels for seniors)
- Downtown Senior Center (weekday meals for seniors with reservations)
- Pacific Angels Home Care (help with shopping, meal prep, and cooking)
- Transportation options:
- Pacific Angels Home Care (private safe transportation and escort)
- Lift Line (door-to-door transportation service for qualifying places)
- Santa Cruz Metro (public or accessible paratransit door-to-door shared rides for people with disabilities)
- Taxis and ride-hailing apps
- Adult day programs: Community Bridges (for seniors on weekdays)
In-home respite care
Respite care is a break for caregivers by someone else temporarily taking over the caregiving responsibilities. It is available as needed, ranging from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. It can also be a recurring service.
Here at Pacific Angels Home Care, we offer in-home respite care provided by kind, reliable, and experienced caregivers. We tailor our services to each individual’s needs and are available as needed.
It is important to view this available resource not as a luxury, but as a necessity for the health and well-being of the caregiver and the person receiving care.
Learn more about resources to age in place in Santa Cruz, CA.
4. Prioritize your own health and well-being
Now that you know how to get help caring for an aging parent, the most important thing is to focus on your own health and well-being by:
- Going to doctor’s appointments
- Finding a good therapist
- Getting enough sleep
- Fueling your body by eating healthy meals and snacks
- Establishing time for yourself each day
- Exercising
- Practicing self-care
- Stress relief, such as breathing, yoga, or meditation
- Staying connected to your social group
- Having hobbies
- Joining a support group (in Santa Cruz, there are caregiver support groups offered by the Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center or the Regional Caregiver Resource Center)
- Setting boundaries
- Asking for help when needed
- Give yourself grace and understanding that you are doing a great job juggling many things
5. Spend less time caregiving and more time connecting
One of the main reasons that getting help and respite care is an act of love is because it allows people to spend less time caregiving and more time actually connecting with their loved one. Instead of running around doing things for them, family and friends can sit down with their loved one and talk to them, watch a show, or play a game.
They can have meaningful moments and good times with their loved one without being stressed and irritable because they have too much on their plate.
Next steps? Choose Pacific Angels Home Care
Now that you know that getting help caring for an aging parent allows for less stress for caregivers and loved ones getting quality, consistent support, the next step is to reach out to a respite care provider.
Pacific Angels Home Care offers safe transportation, meal prep, housekeeping, personal care (assistance with ADLs), appointment scheduling, medication management, incontinence care, supervision, and companionship. Our skilled, kind, and reliable caregivers are also equipped to offer specialty care for seniors dealing with Dementia/Alzheimer’s or stroke.
We are available whenever needed (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and customize our services to each person’s needs.
Those looking for respite care in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas in California, call us today at (831) 708-2876 or reach us online to schedule an in-home consultation to learn more about how we can provide support to help caregivers avoid burnout.
