July 15, 2008

Be Careful of the Alzheimer's Caregiver

If you are an Alzheimer's caregiver, you need to be careful to watch your own health and not hesitate to speak up when you need help. Why do we say this?

Being an Alzheimer's caregiver can be one of the hardest jobs one could have. To watch a beloved parent or spouse slowly slip away as they continue to forget things can be absolutely upsetting. The formerly strong father that taught you to ride a bike or mother that walked you to school when you were a child is now the child himself or herself. To see that the husband or wife that you've build a life with is quickly thinking of you as a stranger can be almost too much to bear. Being an Alzheimer's caregiver can take an emotional toll on someone like almost nothing else can.

There is a danger too of becoming physically exhausted when you're an Alzheimer's caregiver. The patient can need virtually round-the-clock care and attention. Some patients do not know to stay in their own home and have been known to walk out the door in the middle of the night, or when they're still in their pajamas, or have no place to go. This can happen even in the nasty weather, putting them in great physical risk. An Alzheimer's caregiver can be always on the alert while keeping an eye on the patient.

Many Alzheimer's caregivers are hesitant to ask for help, thinking that it's their responsibility to take care of their parent or spouse twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. They think that a "good" son or daughter would never ask for assistance in caring for a parent, and a spouse may be afraid that somebody will put both the patient and him or her in a nursing home if they consider they can't take care of themselves. Yet, all Alzheimer's caregivers can use assistance. They need time to themselves, and time to rest as well. They can suffer from physical tiredness as they try to care for the patient's physical needs such as hygiene, feeding, dressing, and so on. Such things can be especially difficult if the Alzheimer's caregiver is also getting a bit older himself or herself. So if this sounds like you, don't hesitate to ask for support from other family members or friends before you become exhausted yourself.

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