Article 6
Making Alzheimer’s Caregiving Less Difficult
You care, and you want this journey to be as gentle as possible for your loved one and for you. But when that special person in your life is unreceptive, indifferent, or angry, you understandably feel that the challenge is too great, too frustrating, and too exhausting. Somehow, you plow ahead knowing deep inside that you never deserved this burden.
You are not alone! There are millions of other people facing the same challenges that Alzheimer’s has foisted upon you. And in your community, there are caring professionals who want to make a difference in your life. With a little searching, you can also find dementia support groups that will welcome you with warmth and answer your questions. National organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, and others listed as resources on our website may be worth pursuing, but I have found local sources like first-rate senior living communities and memory care facilities are more intimate. You want to communicate with people, not websites. Help is out there, but it is up to you to find it.
While www.ThoughtsForAlzheimersCaregivers.com provides a good overview, your experience is personal, and interactive conversations with knowledgeable people are vital. During our journey, caregiving created stress and fatigue that threatened my health and wellbeing. The three people who helped guide me made a huge difference in my life and in my ability to be the caregiver I wanted to be. I am forever thankful that I had the support I needed, and I encourage all caregivers to search for people that can provide them with the help that they deserve. Ask people in your network for leads.
Learning about the Alzheimer’s progression will help you negotiate the complexities of this disease. Caregiving requires adapting to the changing stages of the journey. For example, photos have a shelf life. In the early stages, they bring joy, as we share past experiences and memorable times. As loved ones’ memories fade, they then become valuable tools to trigger vague memories and stimulate conversations. But Alzheimer’s ensures that memories will eventually disappear, and then photos will only produce blank stares and disconnection. This is the unfortunate signal that sharing parts of the past are now gone – forever.
Gayla loved reruns of Cheers and for a long time would watch them endlessly. Eventually, she became disinterested and preferred sitting in silence. I was concerned about the change but soon realized that when she was sitting in silence, she was content. It is important to realize that what was once short-term memory loss evolves into an inability to process new information. As facts lose relevance, feelings become paramount. The most effective caregivers learn how to adapt to the inevitable changes, and having good advisors can facilitate this.
If you have questions about the caregiving process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. These will be addressed in personal responses or upcoming newsletters.