If you are the main caregiver for your parent that has Alzheimer's, you know how stressful and tiring this can be. It can cause you to have both physical and emotional problems. Even though your parent needs the best care they can get, you also need to take time to care for yourself. It is important that you do this as high levels of stress are bad for your health. This stress can cause things like depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, exhaustion, anger, and irritability. Before this happens to you, below are some tips on how you can get started with this.
Take Your Parent to an Adult Day Care
There are adult day care centers that specialize in taking care of patients that have Alzheimer's. Because of this, you can rest easy knowing the needs of your parent will be met while they are there. In most cases, these centers provide care during the day only. It will, however, give you an entire day to do whatever you want.
Some of the services the adult day care centers may provide to you include:
- Health services: The center may provide health services, such as insulin shots, physical checkups, etc.
- Nutrition: They will likely provide your parent with nutritional snacks and meals.
- Activities: Some daily activities the center may offer include support groups, recreation, art, and music.
- Therapy: The day care center may provide help with physical, speech, and occupational therapy.
Use Services
There are many services you can take advantage of to relieve some stress from you. If your parent needs regular checkups with their doctor, ask their doctor if having an in-home nurse would work out okay with your parent.
There are services that will deliver meals to the home. This can relieve stress from you by not having to worry about cooking. You can set up the meal plans with the meal delivery service so they will bring food that you and your parent likes to eat. Even if you only use this service a few times per week it will be helpful.
Join a Support Group
Find Alzheimer's support groups in your area that you can join. This allows you to express your concerns, get tips from other caregivers, and share your experiences. People going through the same thing as you are can understand how you are feeling. There are person-to-person support groups. If you do not have time to do this, there are online support groups also.
If you are not able to find a support group in your area, talk with your parent's doctor. They likely have a lot of information that can help you find one that will work good for you.
Following these tips should help you feel much better about caring for your parent.
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