Caring for a family member who has a cognitive illness like Alzheimer’s disease is a challenging journey to undertake. There are moments that are wonderful and moments that are full of grief and loss. Learning how to navigate these various emotions and still care for the Alzheimer’s patient is yet another complicated set of tasks. Alzheimer’s care services can help families to learn how to achieve that goal gracefully and compassionately.
Understanding the Emotional Impact
It’s important for families to understand just how powerful the emotional impact of Alzheimer’s disease is on everyone involved. Families are mourning the loss of the person they love, while the Alzheimer’s patient is simultaneously mourning what they’re losing. There may also be a lot of guilt, anxiety, and frustration for everyone involved. Families have to learn how to work through and around those emotions, because they aren’t going to just go away on their own.
Acknowledge and Validate Emotions
Families have to acknowledge these feelings and validate them in order to work through them. It’s perfectly normal to feel all of the various emotions, even when they don’t feel good when they arise. Grief is complicated and exhausting, but validating what is happening lets everyone express how they’re feeling and then move through the emotions. Joining a support group or finding a therapist can be a good way to learn how to acknowledge these difficult emotions.
Get Support in Place
Families caring for an Alzheimer’s patient need as much help and support as they can find. That means lining up emotional support from friends and other family members as well as finding professional support when needed. Home care providers who understand Alzheimer’s and dementia make life easier for everyone involved, so they’re a vital part of the support team.
Practice Self-care Techniques
When family caregivers forget to take care of themselves, that makes everything more difficult. Family caregivers have to prioritize their own self-care, including taking respite time as often as possible. Alzheimer’s care providers can offer tremendous amounts of support with this, allowing family caregivers to take better care of themselves and come back refreshed.
Celebrate the Good Moments
Above all, it’s important to remember that as much as there will be tough moments, there are also going to be good moments. Celebrating those as often as possible helps families to forge new memories and to really experience that joy and connection when it’s there. Listening to music together, sharing a laugh, and talking about old family stories are all important ways to try to create as many good moments as possible.
While caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease is not always easy to do, it also isn’t something that family caregivers have to do alone. Alzheimer’s care services understand how difficult this situation can be for families. They can help families find the resources they need to learn as much as possible about Alzheimer’s disease and they can be there to offer hands-on support. As the condition worsens, it’s important for families to have all the help on hand that they can muster, especially when that help is experienced.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Alzheimer’s care in Greer, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116.
Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia, and the surrounding areas.
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