Dementia: The Caregiver’s Journey

Caring for a person with dementia is a journey quite unlike any other. Over the course of years, the caregiver and the person they care for share an incredibly challenging and remarkable experience.

In the beginning, as the person first begins to notice symptoms, and is eventually diagnosed, there is grief, anxiety, and often an overwhelming sense of finality that encompasses both the person with dementia and the people they love. The role of the caregiver is less about performing daily tasks and more about providing memory support when needed…. More about just being there.

But then the disease progresses. The person with dementia looses more skills. They may become more easily confused or agitated when the demands of a task or situation outpace their abilities. The caregiver has to walk a delicate line…. Balancing the need for continued independence with the proper level of assistance, management of the environment, simplification of tasks. It can be incredibly demanding and confusing for the caregiver themselves, as they are bombarded with mixed messages, well-meaning advice, continued grief over the loss of the person they knew, and the growing needs of the person they care for.

Look further down the path, and the person living with dementia is no longer directly goal oriented in activities. They may need increasing physical assistance to complete tasks. The caregiver is now directly involved in helping with dressing, toileting, bathing…. Perhaps even feeding and transfers. The physical demands on the caregiver are growing, often without the caregiver having any resources to help them learn or manage these new challenges. The caregiver is now often truly overwhelmed, both emotionally and physically.

Finally, as the person living with dementia nears end of life, they may require complete assistance for all movement and activities. They may lose the ability to communicate entirely. They are fully dependent on their caregiver in every way. The caregiver may well be physically and emotionally exhausted.

But throughout this journey, the caregiver also knows something else. That the act of caring for another person, perhaps for a person they love, is deeply meaningful. That there are opportunities for joy within sadness, if only they can find a way to access them.

And there are ways. There are ways to make the physical job easier. Ways to pave the way for connection in spite of loss. Ways to take the journey as part of a community. A community that stands together….. providing practical knowledge, emotional support, and a bridge to meaning.

If you are on this journey with the person you are caring for… Join us. Let’s do this job, together. www.higherstandardscaregivertraining.com