Managing Caregiver Stress

Taking care of yourself is critically important.

Currently, seventy percent of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are cared for at home.

Very often the caregiver is so busy caring for their loved one that their own health and well being is neglected. This can lead to dangerous situations, for both the caregiver and the one they love.

Warning Signs of Cargiver Stress

• Social withdrawal from friends or activities that once brought pleasure.
• Exhaustion
• Lack of concentration
• Anger toward the person with the disease

There is Help for You

The Alzheimer’s Association offers a number of tools to help reduce caregiver stress. First, you can atend a free education session to learn about caregiving techniques of the stages of Alzheimer’s

Secondly, join a support group to share with individuals in situations similar to yours.

Give yourself some credit. It is OK to occasionally lose your patience and make mistakes. If you need to vent call

1-800-272-3900.

Take care of yourself, eat right, visit our doctor.

Caregiver Stress Test

One of the resources available to you on the ALzheimer’s Association website is the Caregiver Stress Check.

This simple yes or no quiz covers common areas of caregiver stress. Based on your answers to questions like”I worry that the person I care for is safe?”, the system will direct you to resources that are available to you through the Alzheimer’s Association.

If you indicate that you are overwhelmed and feel like you are having to do everything, then the system might direct you to Lotsa Helping Hands program or the CareFinder Program.

The Lotsa Helping Hands tool is a FREE interactive, online calendar that helps you identify the help you need when you want it.

The CareFinder tool has information about care professionals. What questions you need to know to ask a new doctor, or things to keep in mind when you are making legal or financial plans, it is all there. CareFinder can even give you a personalized list of recommended care options.

To learn more about any of the caregiver resources available in your are call the 24 hour helpline at

 1-800-272-3900 or visit www.alz.org/dsw.

The Alzheimer’s Association has put together a list of the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s for individuals and their loved ones to determine if they need to see a medical professional for a diagnosis.

1. One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s is when memory loss disrupts daily life. This includes forgetting recently learned information, forgetting important dates or events, repeatedly asking for the same information, and relying on memory aides.

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems is another sign of the disease. This may appear when trying to follow a simple recipe or keep track of monthly bills. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than before.

3. When someone begins to have difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or during leisure activities, it can be a sign of Alzheimer’s. People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget or work or remembering the rules of a favorite game.

4. Losing track of dates, seasons, and the passage of time is a classic sign of Alzheimer’s. People may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately or they may forget where they are or how they got there.

5. For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer’s. They may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining color or contrast. In terms of perception, they may pass a mirror and think someone else is in the room. They may not realize they are the person in the mirror.

6. People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble following or joining a conversation, or difficulties with writing. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves. They might also struggle to find the words for things.

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace one’s steps is also a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. People with Alzheimer’s may put things in unusual places, lose things, and sometimes even accuse others of stealing from them. These tendencies may occur more frequently over time.

8. People with Alzheimer’s may experience changes in judgment or decision-making. For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money, giving large amounts to telemarketers or other scam artists. They might also pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean.

9. Someone with Alzheimer’s may begin to remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports. They may have trouble keeping up with a favorite sports team or remembering how to complete favorite hobby. They may also avoid being social because of the changes they have experienced.

10. The mood and personality of people with Alzheimer’s can change. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.

The Alzheimer’s Association website, www.alz.org, also provides a comparison chart of Alzheimer’s symptoms and typical age-related behaviors. There is also a “Brain Tour” link available on the site to see precisely how Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain.

The Alzheimer’s Association encourages early detection of the disease so that people can get the best help possible.