caregiving to an aging parent or sick family member can be rewarding but is also extremely tough. The need to dedicate time to giving care can cause individuals to feel they are sacrificing their time and money and may lead to bitterness and regret. These feelings need to be addressed as they can lead to ill feeling toward individual which care is being given to. caregiving can be made manageable through having a good support system. General guidance and support through therapy can assist the caregiver with handling daily challenges, with facing specific issues or simply as a way of releasing emotions.
Considering support and care
You may be concerned about your ability to care for yourself or be worried about an elderly family member. Homecare comes in many forms and there are many names used to describe it, including home help, care attendants, and “carers” as well as unpaid care and assistance from family or friends. Apart from considering yours or your family member’s preference of homecare or going into a care home there are other factors to consider such as the families responsibility load, emotional and physical ability and financial status. These factors and considerations can all cause extreme pressure on yourself or upon family members involved in decision making.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s suffers may require care
There are several forms of dementia are partially manageable, however they are irreversible and worsen with time. Alzheimer’s is a disease which is a form of dementia. Alzheimer disease progresses with a build up proteins in the brain which form structures ‘plaques’. These ‘plaques’ leads a loss of connections between nerve cells, which leads to the death of nerve cells and loss of brain tissue. Sufferers of Alzheimer’s may also have a shortage of certain neurotransmitters which are chemical messengers that help to transmit signals within the brain. This shortage neurotransmitters means that the signals transmission is less effective. With Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia the suffer is progressively unable to function mentally and this can lead to issue with being independent. The individual may require assistance or care from family members to carry out basic tasks involving communication.
