Caregiving is financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually debilitating, says Maria Shriver on NBC’s Today Show regarding the stress of caregiving.
Three Tips for Caregivers
- Check in with your local Area Agency on Aging.
- Connect with others via support groups.
- Share with colleagues and friends.
Toward the end (3-minutes), learn about lifestyle changes to prevent dementia ending with symptoms of caregiver stress.
10 Symptoms of Caregiver Stress
- Denial
- Anger
- Social withdrawal
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Exhaustion
- Sleeplessness
- Irritability
- Lack of concentration
- Health problems
View the four-minute video here.
Thank you, Michael Tobin for sharing this link on Living with Dementia on Facebook – a closed group.
My husband and I have been together for almost 50 years—the last 10 of which have been with his Alzheimers. At each stage , i seem to books and hear people speaking about what I had just gone through and my question always is: What happens next?
I realize that the popular phrase is EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT—but there are general phases that many go through to greater or lesser degrees. I have been able to navigate through everything until now. I AM STUMPED AND HEARTBROKEN AND TRAPPED>
My husband started to resist being cleaned as a result of bowel movements and being showered. It was at the point that i feared the real possibility of his losing the ability to control his discomfort. He had enough of himself in there as of 4 months ago to respond when I asked him if it was difficult to have me clean him. He wanted to still do things on his own—even though he really could not. He ha been incontinent for at least a month or two at this point.
I am up against the proverbial wall now—two and a half months ago I had to place him in a dementia facility—a good one—but he hits
people when they try to clean him and that behavior is getting worse and his anger and frustration is creating problems for everyone there.
DO NOT SEND DEMENTIA PATIENTS TO PSYCHE WARDS EVER!!!!
SOMEONE HAS TO FIGURE A WAY TO TREAT PEOPLE WHO ARE BEYOND DAYCARE —BEYOND ACTIVITIES like jigsaw puzzles, coloring etc….and find a way to continue to give the souls of people whose brains are dissolving a place of kindness and care.
ALZHEIMERS is so much more than the public face portrayed in movies as not knowing names and faces.
I live ein Pittsburgh and I wondered if there are ay others facing the dilemma of loving someone with this illness and not being able to find a way to properly care for them.
Alzheimer’s facilities are doing much better with the first couple of phases of this illness, but what happens next?
Susan, incontinence and then not wanting to be cleaned are two difficult challenges in caring for loved ones with dementia that often result in placement as you noted.
The professional staff should be patient with him… while this may not help… it may take time to learn how he’d like to be approached and cleaned. Otherwise, they may say he’s too hard to handle and ask you to find other placement for him. Another approach (sadly) is to give him Rx that subdues him to some degree. Again, finding the delicate balance is a challenge.
Finally, check out ToughKenaMan’s information here. https://thecaregiversvoice.comthe-caregivers-voice-video-channel/caregiver-ken-keene-jr-its-not-about-me/ His father lives with FTD and he regularly posts videos to YouTube. He’s located at the other end of your state (Pennsylvania) in the Philadelphia area.