Page 27 - Leisure Living Magazine June 2018

Late-Stage Caregiving
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email - theesajb@gmail.com
One of the
many caregiv-
ing scenario ex-
amples in late
stage caregiving
may entail: Dad
an 87-year-old
man lives with
his wife (mom).
He has been
dealing with
severe Alzhei-
mer’s disease for
the past several
years and mom has been his only support. Their daughter helps with errands, groceries, and doc- tor appointments and her husband takes care of all of the home maintenance. Dad rarely speaks, has poor balance when walking and cannot dress himself, feed himself or recognize family mem- bers. A personal care worker has been hired to help but lack of sleep has led mom to seek respite care for many of her own health concerns. Even though there is formal care in the home it may be inadequate or too expensive. This stage is very dif- ficult and often painful for the whole family be- cause even care at home with outside help may not be enough. Sometimes at this point the only thing averting a long term care facility is an earlier promise made to the elder parents to never place the parent in such an institution.
At this stage self-care for caregivers is a necessity as this is where “burn out” may occur. The easi- est thing to say but the hardest to accept is the ad- vice to take care of you. As stated by the Family Caregiver Alliance, “The care you give yourself is the care you give to your loved one.” The Alliance also purports that caregivers experience lower stress and better health when they learn caregiv- ing through training and participate in a support group either in person or online. Community re- ferral services can help a caregiver locate programs such as stress-management, meditation and yoga to deal with depression and lack of sleep.
Some important tips for late-stage caregiving
advocated by the Alzheimer’s Association include con- necting with the loved one through their senses especial- ly if commu- nication with them is no lon- ger working. Sensory expe- riences can be
a powerful way to express your love and caring for the Alzheimer’s patient in the late-stage. If you know your loved one’s favorite scents, mu- sic, and books you can read to them, play their favorite songs and provide their favorite flowers in the room to appeal to their senses. Holding hands or sitting outside in the sunshine can also soothe and calm while communicating your car- ing presence.
In the late stage of Alzheimer’s it is important to keep track of their eating schedule because they may forget to eat or lose their appetite al- together. Choosing food that is soft and easy to swallow can help them stay nourished. As the late stage progresses caregiving may require physical strength or assistance from a trained profession- al. When safety issues arise that go beyond the caregiver’s ability or care needs go beyond what can be provided at home it is time to consider a facility for your loved one to get the care that is needed. Many times advanced planning has oc- curred in the early to the middle stage of Alzhei- mer’s and the choice to seek a long term facility is easy. When advance directives have not been made a decision about level and type of care may need to be decided based upon an understanding of what your loved one’s wishes were and their current medical condition. The Alzheimer’s As- sociation provides a Senior Housing Finder tool available through their website at www.alz.org or by calling the Helpline at 1-800-272-3900.
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