3 Helpful Tips When Caring for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s

“More than 16 million people are considered unpaid caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.” CDC.gov

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can be challenging. If you’re caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, read on to discover helpful tips from the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. 

1. Expect Anger and Lashing Out

Sadly, it is not uncommon for your loved to lash out at you in anger. It’s so hard not to take it personally.

With a little understanding as to what’s really going on, you may be a bit more compassionate. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, finding the words to express what’s happening becomes difficult for patients.

Struggling to communicate one’s needs, compounded by the confusion of Alzheimer’s disease can cause anger and frustration. The best that you can do is to keep your loved one as comfortable as possible during this time and remind yourself that it is part of the process.

Continue to be patient with your loved one and stay proactive with your research on the topic of Alzheimer’s. The more you understand about something, the less frustrating it can become. We recommend visiting AlzheimersPrevention.org for some additional information and research as well.

2. Get Support

Each caregiver has their own unique challenges, but there are common threads among the millions of stories. One of the most common threads is burnout.

You may feel responsible for your loved one or you don’t want to bother anyone else. This is an assumption that often leads to burnout.

You need to get support for yourself. Join a local support group in your area or seek one out on apps like Facebook. Don’t be afraid to call other family members and ask them for help.

3. Don’t Forget to Care for Yourself

You may be so busy caring for your loved one with Alzheimer’s that you ignore your own needs and put them on the back burner.

That’s very noble, but it doesn’t do you or your loved one good in the long run. You can do more harm than good and suffer from burnout.

You must give yourself time to step away from caregiving a loved one with Alzheimer’s, even if it’s a little bit. Go get lunch with a friend or find ways to step away from the intensity of caregiving.

Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s

You only want the best for your loved one. You want to make sure that they’re comfortable and that they get the best care that they deserve.

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be overwhelming. Do your best to stay educated on the topic by researching and talking with other caregivers in your situation – the more you know, the less scary it becomes.

Do you want to learn more about Alzheimer’s? Visit AlzheimersPrevention.org, subscribe to our Newsletter, and read our blog. You can also follow Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

To support our critically important work to help research the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, please visit our donation page.

Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation is a leading global Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention organization, funding some of the most significant integrative medicine research on Alzheimer’s prevention, while providing educational outreach to laypeople, healthcare providers and caregivers on the 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention^®.  Our research has been published in the prestigious Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as other significant medical journals, such as The International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatry Research, Nuclear Medicine Communications and Consciousness and Cognition.

ARPF is a charitable organization registered in AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, MD, MA, MO, MI, NJ, NM, NY, OH, NC, PA, RI, TX, VA, WA, WI. In FL, ARPF’s registration number is CH-31726 under s.496.411(3), F.S.