R4Y: Alzheimer's Caregivers Risk Predictable Fatigue Declining
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s - Despite the best
possible intentions and information, Remembering
4 You warns fatigue timelines remain a critical and important factor in
any type of long-term family care giving situation. The caregiver fatigue
timeline is published on pages 13-15 of HOW IN THE WORLD…AND NOW WHAT DO I DO? A
Primer for Alzheimer’s: 12 Major Points for Coping Better available at http://AlzheimersPrimer.com. R4Y
recently published the first in a series of Alzheimer’s primers because most
caregivers have little time to sit down with a large book or go through
hundreds of web pages to find the proper information.
Statistics show
that about 30% of caregivers will die before the person they are providing care
to and about 80% of caregivers will either contemplate suicide or attempt
suicide due to exhaustion or feelings of extreme isolation. We know that every
68 seconds a person is being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and we have over 5
million individuals living with Alzheimer’s in the United States alone. For
every person who is living with Alzheimer’s, you can estimate 3 caregivers
providing care.
As reported in a
number of studies, fatigue is a complex symptom in family care giving. Once
fatigue ensues, the care giving is compromised and the health of each person is
affected. As reported by Dr. SunWoo Kang in his doctoral research at the
University of Wisconsin (2012) on Caregiving,
Marital Quality, and Physical Health: A U.S. National Study, family care
giving was linked to higher levels of HPA/SNS dysfunction and metabolic
dysfunction. He noted higher levels of reported chronic conditions among male family
caregivers with providing care to parents having problematic effects on global
health, physical symptoms, and chronic conditions among both men and women
caregivers.
Reducing Risk through Better Health
In the knowledge
of clear and definite caregiver fatigue timeline for someone providing care to
a loved one who is living with Alzheimer’s, R4Y is encouraging better care and
support to minimize the healthcare risks associated with care giving. The
strategy includes knowledge of the predictable caregiver fatigue timeline and a
support plan that works for you to reduce the likelihood of experiencing a
serious illness in later years or after the care giving period is over.
Concerning Alzheimer's
caregiving fatigue timeline, the idea of better caregiver health has included
maintaining healthy levels of exercise, keeping regular medical checkups,
eating more plant-based diet by avoiding too much sugar and fatty foods, the
use of vitamin supplements, social interactions, accepting help from others
when offered, and a solid daily routine.
Based on the
data, R4Y offers two possible reasons a focus on better self care might be
helping:
1. Continuing Education
Knowing is
liberating. Know the predictable stages of the caregiver fatigue timeline.
Adopt steps that will help you cope better and avoid the Alzheimer’s maze by creating
your own readiness program such as a well stocked pantry to avoid running to
the story daily. More about how to start and completely stock your pantry at http://Remembering4You.Com which is
completely free plan you can download.
Another example
is how to save tons of time to keep up with housework, even when you feel
tired, by signing up at http://flylady.com and
requesting daily reminders that will help you to get and stay organized. Her
methods will teach you how to spend as little as 15-20 minutes a day but stay
ahead of the daily chores. No more stress over people dropping in and finding
your house is in disarray.
Consider a free
shopping service that will bring many articles you use daily, even food, right
to your door now available at http://amazon.com
as Alice.com is no longer in service. This small step can be a life saver and
extremely helpful for any caregiver.
2. Your Health
Although the health
and needs of the person you provide care does matter and requires solid
planning, you health is even more important. Often the caregiver’s health is
compared to the story about putting the oxygen mask on you first in an airplane
emergency versus the person next to you. So it is for your health. Make sure
you find a way to exercise daily (treadmill, yoga, walking) and a proper diet
with sleep. This may require that you get another caregiver to cover the night
shift, if necessary, or find out other ways by visiting http://Remembering4You.com for some tips
on reducing stress.
Similar Observations
Studies on
caregiver fatigue timeline, such as Dr. SunWoo Kang’s doctoral research, are by
no means unique in their findings. Several researchers published similar
findings which clearly support the fatigue timeline and serious health problems
for family caregivers. Several studies in Europe have been undertaken and
confirm the same results.
Even though the
number of diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is increasing at an alarming rate in the
United States, the responsibilities of caregiving continue to be specialized
and largely delivered by ill informed and untrained family caregivers. And
among those who do eventually find themselves suddenly responsible for someone
living with Alzheimer’s, they typically will suffer quietly and many feel the
pain of isolation. It stands to reason that we should continue pursuing the
avenues of better health and care for the family caregiver as ways to reduce
the risk of depression and something even worse.
