Caregiving

WELCOME TO OUR PAGE ON CAREGIVING.

* Care is provided for a variety of reasons. Among them are:

Shopping
Transportation
Bathing
Dressing
Money management
Friendly visiting
Cooking, laundry, housekeeping
Monitor medications
Helping someone to remain in the community
Provide emotional support and companionsip
Help walk or to get around
Everyone expects you to fulfill these tasks
You can add to this list

Most of us become caregivers at some time during our life time. Some of us are caregivers for elders who have mental health problems including depression, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, dementia, etc. This page is for those caregivers.

* Care is given by many different people:

Informal Caregivers- include but are not limited to:

Family(spouses, children, siblings, partners, et.al.)
Friends
Neighbors

Formal Providers - include but are not limited to:

Homemakers
Personal care aides
Social workers
Nurses
Therapists
Physicians

All of those and more are caregivers.

Informal caregivers are not paid and often provide care at great cost(financial, emotional, physical, relational. etc.). Most caregiving(about 80-85 %) is provided by informal caregivers.

Formal providers are paid( not always well) and provide care at great odds(unrealistic expectations, unclear situations, unfamiliar environments and relationships, etc.)

All who provide care for impaired elders feel some degree of responsibility for them and their families. All are faced with many challenges in order to preserve the elder's dignity.

With that in mind this page will support caregivers and do the following:

Provide information
Identify resources which caregivers can use.

Please let us know what you think.

Advice by Alicia: Caring for a Spouse with Dementia

Q: What advice do you have for spousal caregivers of a loved one with dementia?

Finding out that your spouse has dementia is one of the biggest trials a couple will face. While caregiving may be easy at the beginning stages of the disease, eventually both spouses will have to deal with the gradual decline of memory, abilities and mental faculties. The individual may have behavioral changes or not recognize their spouse. By nature, dementia causes the relationship to change and evolve, and this can be difficult for both the caregiver and the person being cared for.

At Bridges® by EPOCH, we often say that dementia does not change who someone is as a person. For spousal caregivers, it’s important to understand that this is still the person you fell in love with and married, and there are still opportunities to do activities together and create meaningful moments and memories. Dementia doesn’t mean that your quality of life will go away – in fact, with support and the appropriate care, you and your spouse will be able to live a fulfilling life for many years to come.

Directory

Elsewhere on this site:

Dementia and Sexual Relationships (Mental Health Page)

Benefits of Caregiving for Someone with Alzheimer's

Caregiver Burnout

Caregiver Health

Costs to Working Caregivers

Development of Objectives for Family Caregivers

Elders Who Are Depressed: Tasks For Family Members And Friends

Family Handbook

Family Support Groups

Journal Writing About Gratitude By And For Caregivers