An In Home Caregiver’s Challenge: Coping With the Stress of Working With an Alzheimer’s Patient
Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by Aaron Yeagle in In-Home Care
I found a great article detailing the reality of what it’s like for in home caregivers to work with Alzheimer patients. For clarity, I use the term ‘in home caregiver’ to include all caregivers, whether you are a family caregiver, close friend, or a caregiver through an in home care agency. The following bullets are summaries from a study done in 2008 on Alzheimer’s.
• The slow progression of Alzheimer’s means most caregivers spend many years in the caregiving role. Some 32 percent of unpaid caregivers have been providing care for five years or longer, and 39 percent have been providing care for one to four years
• Caregivers of people hospitalized for Alzheimer’s were more likely than caregivers of people hospitalized for other diseases to die in the year following the death of their loved one with Alzheimer’s (even adjusting for age).
• Among Alzheimer’s caregivers who held jobs, two-thirds said they had to go in late, leave early or take time off because of caregiving, 18 percent had to take a leave of absence, 13 percent had reduced their hours and 8 percent had turned down promotions. Eight percent of caregivers in the study had to quit work entirely because of caregiving.
• Family and other unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s are more likely than non-caregivers to have high levels of stress hormones, reduced immune function, slow wound healing, new hypertension and new coronary heart disease.
• As Alzheimer’s nears the end stage (a year before death), caregivers in 2007 spent at least 46 hours a week assisting the person and 59 percent felt that they were “on duty” 24 hours a day. Not surprisingly, 72 percent said they experienced relief when their loved one died.
Thoughts
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is not easy. The emotional toll is often very detrimental to the caregiver and unfortunately, as the final bullet noted, there is a sense of relief when the loved one passes. Since Alzheimer’s patients typically develop the need for constant supervision, families and caregivers will be better-off if they are able to surround the patient with a team of people to provide the care. In any caregiving situation there is likely to be one person who provides the bulk of the care, and periodic respite care from other family members, close friends, or even from an in home care agency is beneficial for he or she who carries much of the load.
Caring for a loved one is not easy – but it should not be all burdensome. A team effort is often the best solution.