From Burnout to Belonging: Reclaiming Connection Through Memory Care

By Nicole Mathura-Price

Caring for a loved one with dementia can feel like a full-time job and then some. What begins as a heartfelt commitment to help can, over time, lead to emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. This is caregiver burnout, and it’s more common than many people realize.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. And more importantly, you don’t have to do this alone.

Understanding Caregiver Burnout

Burnout isn’t just being tired. It’s a state of chronic stress that builds when caregivers take on more than they can handle, often out of love, duty, or a sense of responsibility.

For those caring for someone with dementia, the demands are especially intense:

• Constant supervision or redirection
• Nighttime disruptions or wandering
• Repetitive questions or aggressive behaviors
• Emotional grief as a loved one’s memory fades

Over time, even the most resilient caregivers can begin to feel:

• Isolated from friends and family
• Guilt for feeling frustrated or resentful
• Hopelessness, depression, or anxiety
• Health problems of their own

Burnout can sneak up on you. Many caregivers don’t even realize how depleted they are until they’re in crisis.

You Deserve Support, Not Shame

One of the hardest truths for caregivers to accept is this: needing help is not a weakness. It’s a wise, loving, and healthy step for yourself and for the person you care about.

You may have already given more than you ever thought possible. And now, it might be time to consider a different kind of support: one that allows you to share the care without giving up your role in your loved one’s life.

The Role of Memory Care in Healing Burnout

At Franke Tobey Jones, we’ve spent more than a century helping families through the challenges of aging, including the heartbreak and exhaustion that can come with dementia caregiving.

Our memory care community is designed to:

• Ease the emotional and physical burden on caregivers
• Offer safe, specialized care for individuals with dementia
• Foster meaningful daily experiences through structured activities
• Provide round-the-clock support from trained professionals

But the greatest gift memory care can offer is this: it gives caregivers their relationship back with their loved one.

When someone else helps meet the daily care needs, you can become the daughter who brings flowers, the spouse who plays music, the friend who simply listens. You can once again reconnect with your loved one and with yourself.

As one family member shared:
“When I finally accepted help, I realized I could stop being her nurse and just be her daughter again.”

Resources to Help You Take the First Step

If you’re not sure where to begin, here are three trusted places to start:

• Alzheimer’s Association Support Groups – alz.org/help-support/community/support-groups
• Family Caregiver Alliance – caregiver.org
• Burn the Burnout – beccaboston.net/burntheburnout

And when you’re ready to explore how Franke Tobey Jones can support your family, our doors—and hearts—are open.

Schedule a Tour Today

Let us help you move from burnout… back to belonging.

We invite you to visit our memory care community and experience firsthand the compassion, safety, and connection we provide every day.

Schedule a tour and take the first step toward a more supported tomorrow.