By Marge Demepsey and Sylvia Baago, Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region.
Reprinted from the Horizon, Huntington Society of Canada Newsletter.
1. Get help early -- counseling, assistance with caregiving duties,
etc.
2. Involve your family from the beginning by sharing your concerns with
them.
3. Access all the information you can about the disease and educate
yourself as much as possible about its progression.
4. Have an awareness
about the losses to come, such as incontinence, inability to dress, etc., so
they are not totally unexpected.
5. Recognize the hidden grief component of
your anger, anxiety, guilt and depression. Expect adaptation, but not
resolution, of your grief.
6. Appreciate your grief and seek out someone who
understands it.
7. Recognize the signs of denial: for example, you insist, "I
don't need any help." "Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay."
8. Acknowledge
your right to feel emotionally off-balance.
9. Learn to "Let Go" from the
start and share your caregiving burden. Your loved one can survive a few hours
without you.
10. Forgive yourself for not being perfect.
11. Stop trying
to be perfect: caring for someone with a chronic illness means your world has
been turned upside down and you will probably have to compromise some of your
personal standards of housekeeping, etc.
12. Join a support group
early.
13. Take care of yourself -- physically and emotionally. Have regular
checkups. Get as much rest and respite as possible. Eat well-balanced meals.
Give yourself time to cry. Don't be afraid to acknowledge your feelings of
anger, anxiety, helplessness, guilt and despair.
14. Hang on to your sense of
Self. Keep up your regular activities as much as possible.
15. Take one day
at a time, but don't neglect to plan for the future. Good planning can include
getting a power of attorney, accessing community care early and filling out
placement papers.
16. Be kind to yourself. Remember you are experiencing
normal reactions to abnormal circumstances. 17. Learn how to communicate
differently with your loved one if cognitive and language abilities decline.
Good communication strategies help to avoid frustration.
18. Make sure your
family doctor is one who is willing to listen and understand.
19. Accept
yourself for being human; even if you "lose it" sometimes, give yourself a pat
on the back for doing the best you can.
20. Follow the action plan to avoid
caregiver burnout.
Created and maintained by Renette Davis. Send comments to Renette by clicking here
Created: June 6, 1996
Last updated: Nov. 13, 2010