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Caregiver Self-Care And Stress Management

Managing your Care when Caring for Others

Caregivers who care for individuals with Alzheimer’s or Dementia should manage their stress to prevent burnout and keep their caregiving optimism high.

Challenges involved in caring for someone with these and other conditions. Caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia can cause special challenges for the caregiver

 

COMMUNICATION

Communication can be especially challenging between the caregiver and patient. Because an individual with Alzheimer’s or dementia may not remember names, conversations or events, they may repeat questions, have difficulty finding the right words, easily lose their train of thought and speak less frequently.

BEHAVIORS

Individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia can exhibit behavior changes including depression, agitation, aggression, confusion, and suspicion. Caregivers can remain calm and patient and accept behaviors as a part of the disease in order to better work through it.

MEMORY LOSS

Memory loss may be mild in the early stages, but as the disease progresses, so will the level of memory loss. Caregivers can be called the wrong name, not be recognized, and more as individuals lose their memory.

Managing Caregiver Stress

Providing care for individuals in these and other conditions can be extremely fulfilling and challenging at the same time. It’s important that caregivers take care of themselves so they can remain hopeful, energetic and optimistic to provide proper care.

Signs of Caregiver Stress (womenshealth.gov)

Self-Care and Stress Management Tips

It’s important for caregivers to take care of themselves, both physically and emotionally even while they care for others. Finding the time to care for yourself with proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep—as well as getting support from family and friends will help caregivers relieve stress and can prevent burnout.

Physical Ways To Manage Stress

Home Care Tip:

There are many community resources available for caregivers such as adult day care programs, in-home assistance, and meal delivery programs. Contact the Alzheimer’s Association or use this (alz.org/CRF) Resource Finder to locate dementia care resources near you.

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