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The Seasons of
Alzheimer's Caregiving: Summer
By
Beverly Moore |
 Quincy
- Summer, in the seasons of Alzheimer caregiving, is a
season of feeling more confident in your new role. In the
season of “spring,” as noted in last month’s issue, you
learned that a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s meant life will
never be the same again.
You immediately needed to learn new roles and new ways of
relating, and to find new medical avenues and new resources.
Suggested last month were 1) to call the Alzheimer’s
Association help line at (617) 272-3900 to find resources
and 2) to join a support group to help you as you navigated
this turn in your life.
Now, in the summer season of Alzheimer’s caregiving, you’ve
studied and practiced new ways of staying in a relationship
with your family member. Things are going along much more
smoothly. You are able to keep up with what you need to know
to handle day-today care. Summer always seems like a good
time to reflect on and celebrate what you’ve accomplished.
This season in caregiving, however, will not last. Either
you tire or things progress more rapidly than you can
absorb. You wonder how long you can continue, whether it
will get worse, what decisions you will have to make. Before
fall, plan for the continuation of caregiving. Seek out
others to come alongside you to sustain you. It is easy to
become complacent and fail to plan for the future.
Have a family meeting. Ask who can help, who will do what
part. If this is too difficult a task, seek out a consultant
to facilitate this discussion. These questions are often
received better from an outsider than from the family
caregiver.
And continue with your support group. Ask questions. Others
have faced these transitions and you can benefit from their
knowledge and experience.
It has been said that caregiving is a mix of the mystical
and the mundane. On the one hand, you are experiencing a new
relationship. On the other hand, the day-to-day working out
of that relationship can become routine. Summer is the time
to strike your balance between the two. |
About The Author
Beverly Moore is owner of StilMee, The leader in
Alzheimer coaching, and the author of “Matters of the
Mind…and the Heart, Meeting the challenges of Alzheimer
care.” Contact Beverly at Beverly.Moore@Stil- Mee.com or at
(617) 328-3440. She welcomes your questions. Also see her
blog, www.StilMeecoach.blogspot.com.
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