I hear from caregivers pretty regularly that”nobody really understands how hard caring for a loved one with dementia is!”
So, I decided to share some facts about dementia caregivers in the hopes that it will provide some understanding and support for the dementia caregiver’s journey!
If you’re caring for somebody with dementia, I see you and I value what you’re doing. Please, please, please take care of yourself because we know that depression and anxiety and stress and strain will not only affect your, your sense of self and well-being, it will affect your health.
The dementia caregiver’s journey can lead to a lot of loneliness and isolation. There may be loneliness in the relationship if the person with dementia doesn’t recognize you anymore. And then there’s potentially loneliness with society if you’re stuck at home, providing 24/7 supervision or care.
If you’re caring for somebody with dementia, I see you and I value what you’re doing.
Please, please, please take care of yourself because we know that depression, anxiety, and stress will not only affect your sense of self and well-being, it will affect your health.
3 Simple Self-Care Strategies for Dementia Caregivers
1. Listen to other dementia caregiver’s stories!
Here are a couple of interviews I did with dementia caregivers! Listening to others’ stories will help you feel less alone and may give you some ideas to reduce your caregiving stress.
- Life, Love, and Alzheimer’s: Interview with Lauren Dykovitz
- Dementia Can Be Beautiful: Interview with MJ Grant
2. Get educated
The more educated you are about dementia, the more empowered you will be in your dementia caregiving journey. There is a lot of misinformation about dementia out there. But, here are some resources you can trust:
- Learn more about dementia here
- 7 Benefits of Early Diagnosis of Dementia
- Know the 10 Memory Loss Warning Signs
- 5 Next Steps if You’re Noticing Signs of Memory Loss
- Is Dementia Normal Part of Aging?
- Creative Tips for Talking with Your Loved One With Dementia: Interview with Gary Glazner of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project
3. Get support!
A great place to do this is at your local Alzheimer’s Association. They have loads of family support programs. You don’t even have to have Alzheimer’s Dementia to receive services at Alzheimer’s Association (other dementia disorders are supported there as well). It’s a nonprofit, it’s typically free.
Find the Alzheimer’s Association near you and your local chapter and, and get connected with a support group. Click here to go directly to their community page and find support today!
