Page 19 - Leisure Living Magazine Spring 2019

Caregiver Inspirations For A New Year
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email - theesajb@gmail.com
A study published by the American Psycho- logical Association and led by Michael Poulin from the University of Buffalo found that spou- sal caregivers experienced positive feelings about caregiving when they are appreciated. When caregivers spend time attempting to provide help for their spouses with Alzheimer’s they feel positive when their care has made a difference and recognized by their partner. These positive feelings are helpful for a caregiver’s mental and physical well-being. The spousal caregivers in the study who experienced positive feelings about caregiving ended up with less stress and burn- out than other caregivers. According to Poulin these conclusions from the study are important because caregiving can be an enormous burden physically, mentally, and economically. He sug- gests finding community resources to help cre- ate conditions where caregivers can be more ap- preciated. Even though caregivers are celebrated during Alzheimer’s Awareness month in Novem- ber it might be time to reach out to a caregiver again and let them know they are appreciated whether they are a family caregiver or a friend.
Alzheimers.net asked caregivers what were some of the important lessons they learned while caring for their loved ones with Alzheimer’s dis- ease. Some of the inspirational ideas include: al- lowing your loved one to live in the moment even if the moment did not happen; not to take what they say personally; enjoy the memories and not argue or disagree; try to have more patience; and even though your loved one asks the same question many times, know that it is important to answer it like it’s the first time they asked. Kathleen Allen, LCSW shares lessons learned from others on brightfocus.org. Her first exam- ple was a wife caring for her husband with early stage Alzheimer’s disease. After caring for him for four years while working at a job she loved she became stressed and tired. Although he was coherent there had been some difficult and scary moments while caring for him at home. She iden- tified a memory care unit in her area and after taking him there she was instructed to not visit
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Develop positive feelings about caregiving.
for two weeks so he could acclimate. When she went to see him in two weeks he was furious with her. Shortly after they both were able to discuss the situation and together planned for him to come home. Her lesson was that by placing him in a memory care facility it allowed her a break so she could make the important decision to quit her job and bring him home. Another caregiver expressed he was still learning lessons after caring for his wife for ten years. Since there are strug- gles and lessons, there is still hope according to Kathleen because research is ongoing and more help for caregivers is available through education, community resources, and sharing stories with others.
A recent new movie “What They Had” (2018) featured in the AARP October/November issue with Hilary Swank and Blythe Danner shows the ups and downs of family caregiving. Both ac- tresses have been caregivers in real life and ap- plied their empathetic nature in this film. Many heart-felt decisions were made in this movie by a spouse and their adult children caring for their mother with Alzheimer’s. AARP says it is a “land- mark Alzheimer’s film that is heartbreaking, in- spiring, funny and true.”
I agree, the movie is a must see for everyone.
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