July 2, 2021
It can feel overwhelming. Maybe at first your spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, or other family member or close friend didn’t seem like they needed that much help. Yet, as the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s progress, your work as a caregiver can become much more overwhelming.
Now is the perfect time to consider just how great an impact being a caregiver for somebody with this form of dementia can have on your life.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re working a full-time job, multiple part-time jobs, or not working at all; when you are a caregiver for somebody with Alzheimer’s, and you are the primary caregiver, you will discover just how little free time you have.
In the beginning, during those first months and perhaps a couple of years, things seemed easy enough. The senior only needed a few reminders, corrections, and patience.
However, at this stage with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s progressing to the point where sometimes they don’t recognize you, are getting frustrated and angry, and even possibly verbally or physically aggressive, you feel even worse.
It is the perfect Catch-22. As the senior needs more support, the stress level for the family caregiver increases, and that caregiver needs more downtime, but because the senior needs more support, the opportunity to have downtime decreases.
Just because you may not see the possibility of enjoying some relaxing ‘me time’ doesn’t mean you can’t get it. It may feel selfish to some, but it most certainly is not selfish.
It is necessary. So, how do you get downtime when you are a caregiver for somebody with Alzheimer’s?
When you rely on a home care agency to support this aging senior, you can have some more time to and for yourself. That is the most important aspect of overcoming stress and anxiety, taking care of your own health, and being the kind of caregiver you always wanted to be, perhaps the one you started out as, but lately have seemed to have lost your way a bit.
A home care agency will be equipped with plenty of caregivers, home care aides, who have a lot of experience supporting aging men and women dealing with different types of dementia. Alzheimer’s is one form of dementia, but it often is one of the most recognizable.
When you have a home care aide helping out, you won’t have to get up in the morning if that home care provider is visiting your elderly senior during those morning hours. You won’t have to head over there after work, when you are tired and stressed, to get them ready for bed, make sure they are safe, and everything is okay.
A home care aide can do those things for you, allowing you much-needed time to decompress and de-stress.
Don’t make the common mistake of underestimating how difficult supporting somebody with Alzheimer’s can be, no matter the relationship to you, your physical proximity to where they live, or even your sense of obligation within the family structure. Home care is a great asset that can go along with you so you can limit the stress of life as a caregiver.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Sewickley, PA, please contact the caring staff at In-Home Quality Care today. Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1990! Call 412-421-5202
