When you’re in the throes of looking after a loved one with Alzheimer’s, it’s easy to overlook your own needs, especially if you’re also holding down a job, taking care of children, or tending to other relatives. But caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is one of the biggest challenges any person can ever undertake. In order to muster the strength and energy for it, you need to look after yourself, too.
Continue reading Alzheimer’s: Caregiver – Minimize Your Stress
Ignorance is not blissful when it comes to a disease like Alzheimer’s. The most important thing you can do is to get educated about the disease. The fact you’re reading this article shows that you are already making strides in that direction. Anticipating changes in your loved one’s symptoms, behaviors, and personality will prepare you to cope with these changes when they come.
Continue reading Alzheimer’s: Caregiver – Build Your Knowledge
Perhaps you never imagined yourself as the type of person to attend a support group to share your feelings with strangers. Or maybe you used to shudder at the idea of seeking out a social worker or psychological counseling. Maybe you hated to even borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor. But if you’ve just learned that you have Alzheimer’s, you may start to rethink some of these preconceived notions about yourself. You may realize that you need more support from your friends and family than you ever dreamed you would. You may also find yourself tapping into community resources in a way you never did.
Not all support groups are the same, which is why it may take you some time to find one you are comfortable with and enjoy. Some are primarily educational and may feature guest speakers who discuss various aspects of the disease. Others focus on emotional support and offer participants the chance to speak. Some groups are lead by professional facilitators such as nurses or social workers, while others are lead by trained group members.
In these early stages, you may not be in dire need of outside support. But you should be aware that there are numerous services available to help you, when the time does come. Among them:
Support groups aren’t the only source of assistance for people who are dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. Although you may still be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and be quite functional, there may come a time when your needs—or that of your caregiver—are much greater.
The cost of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be astronomical. Doctor visits, specialized testing, in-home aides, and medications can add tens of thousands of dollars to your medical costs. And if there comes a time when you need to go to a nursing home, those expenses will skyrocket. Trying to get a grasp on these costs may be overwhelming, if not frightening, to the average person.
Worrying about your health is only part of the emotional stress created by Alzheimer’s disease. Once the reality of having Alzheimer’s begins to set in, you may begin to fret about other more practical matters and your future. Who will make decisions for you when you can no longer make them? Who will care for you when your condition worsens? Where will you live when you can no longer remain at home? How will you finance the cost of your care?
Whether you can work depends on your current health and the type of job you do. You may need to make some changes such as cutting back hours or doing less demanding tasks to adapt your work situation to your health. Keep in mind that the American with Disabilities Act offers some protection to people who have Alzheimer’s disease. Companies with fifteen or more employees must make “reasonable” accommodations for job applicants with physical or mental disabilities. You can also talk to your employer about benefits such as paid sick leave or other short-term disability benefits.
It’s been a century since Alois Alzheimer first spotted the plaques and tangles inside the brain of his patient, Auguste D. Our understanding of the disease that bears his name has since grown considerably, much of it in recent decades. But even as scientists around the world scrutinize the various aspects of this baffling disease, myriad mysteries remain. What exactly is the cause of Alzheimer’s?