Keep in contact with friends. Caregivers often become lonely and isolated. Don’t. Stay in touch with friends with phone calls, e-mail, and even letters. Visit as much as possible or invite friends over. Friends can be a lifeline for caregivers to hang onto. They are a link to the outside world, support, a shoulder to lean on, and someone to vent to when needed.
Utilize community resources. If home delivered meals in programs such as Meals-on-Wheels are available, ask to be included. If transportation programs are offered, pick up a schedule and use the service. Look for adult daycare programs, home health services, legal assistance, and other options that can shoulder some of the burden from the caregiver. Begin with an Area Agency on Aging, Eldercare, OATS, or other local services.
Stay on track and keep a life. There’s a huge difference between self-sacrifice and loving care. Be sure to avoid self-sacrifice. Don’t give up everything else to become a caregiver. Maintain other relationships. Spouses often suffer when the other spouse becomes a full-time caregiver for a parent. Children of sandwich generation mothers often suffer too. Strive for a balance between all the important people in your life and leave room for yourself. Take time for an occasional outing or a long bubble bath or to take in a movie. Stroll through the park. In short, live for yourself once in awhile.
Avoid neglect. Be sure to keep your own medical appointments, to get an annual flu shot, to have regular hair cuts, and to get enough rest. Caregivers often fail to maintain their own necessary care with disastrous results. Stay healthy. Get the rest and care that you need even if it means hiring someone to help out.
Don’t become a mirror image of the person you care for. Caregivers often merge into a lifestyle much like that of the person they care for. Don’t wear pajamas just because the patient or person does. Encourage them to get out and interact as much as possible. Don’t allow yourself to drift into a trap where your life is as limited as the person you are caring for.
If depression, anxiety, or tensions are too great, ask for help. Explain to your physician what your duties are and how you feel. If necessary, he or she can prescribe an antidepressant or mild tranquilizer to make life a little smoother.
Do celebrate the good times. Savor the moments when a relative with Alzheimer's Disease recognizes you or enjoys something from the past. Take strength and pleasure from the good days of a terminal patient. Live in the moment and enjoy the best ones.