Page 23 - Leisure Living Magazine May 2018

Mid-Stage Alzheimer’s
Caregiving
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email - theesajb@gmail.com
Recently, at my local bank, an associate shared her concerns for her 85 year old mother and how her job, family responsibilities, and extra daily chores for her mother were affecting her own busy schedule. If you are providing more than 10 hours a week of caregiving for your loved one you may be in the mid-stage of caregiving. It also may be time to ask for help from family and support groups, and be looking into formal services. Several caregivers informed me that they had to scale back at work, cut back on social activities, recreational exercise, and even friends. The conflict here is keeping up with work, friends, and hobbies. Often caregivers fight depression, frustration, and even guilt. It might be helpful to not cut back on any one activity but on the frequency of all activities.
During mid-stage, Alzheimer’s damage to the brain can affect your loved one’s performance of routine daily tasks and expressing their thoughts. This stage may last the longest according to the Alzheimer’s Association. It can even last for years. As the disease progresses sleep changes, outbursts, and wandering occur. Understanding these new behaviors from your loved one during mid-stage caregiving, can help you cope as a caregiver. If your loved one can still read, using simple written reminders can help them throughout the day. Some caregivers find sticky notes very helpful. It is important to take breaks, even moments and not isolate yourself. Caregiver stress comes in many forms. It is reported that anger, social withdrawal, depression, and sleeplessness are ranked high as symptoms experienced by caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. If friends or family offer to help, take them up on it! The free online community resource locator available at communityresourcefinder.org displays services for care at home, medical services, and even local services in our area. Examples include adult day care centers, transportation, and elder law attorneys. No account set-up is necessary
unless you want to post a review for one of the providers.
AARP provides a free app called Caregivers in the Community (CINC). It can be downloaded from careconnection.aarp.org. On the homepage click on the link CINC and then click on the download button. When I downloaded the free app I did need to supply my phone number and code given on my tablet screen. A link was sent to my iPhone messages; it also included a link for android smart phones. After I tapped the link it took me straight to the download page on my phone screen. After you download the app you answer a few questions about yourself and your loved one. Then the app connects and matches you with other caregivers in similar situations that are interested in sharing experiences. You do not need to provide your full, real name only a screen name when connecting to others. After I submitted a brief profile the app connected me to over 100 caregivers in similar situations. I was definitely amazed! You can send connection requests and then start connecting one-on-one through in app messaging. Sharing any personal information is not necessary and you can select a time to communicate that works for you. At the bottom of the app you can tap on Care Feed and it links you to articles such as: Hiring a Home Care Worker, Making the Stove a Little Safer, All about Adult Day-Care Services and many more informational articles to choose from. Articles can be read from your phone. It is a great free app from AARP. If you prefer in person caregiversupportgroupscallthehelplineatthe Alzheimer’s Caregiver Center (1-800-272-3900).
Remember, asking for help and utilizing community resources can relieve caregiver stress. Support groups can bring people together whether they are in person or online. When members share experiences and advice you can learn helpful information, gain hope, and realize you are not alone.
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