If you are new to caregiving, a good, brief basic set of questions and answers can be found here at the American Geriatrics Society site.

What sort of questions do you have and how can we help you here in the ElderCare Community?

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Puffin

There is a caregiving manual available for free download from the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center site.

This 115-page resource goes from discussion of what dementia is through discussions of family issues, caregiving tips, dealing with kids, resources and web sites, activities for AD patients, and a good deal more.

NOTE: the link starts the download!

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Puffin

Ever heard of the 11th Commandment? Take a look at it here: Thou Shalt Not Parent Thy Parent.

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Puffin

Burden of illness often heaviest for caregivers

Tuesday, December 12, 2000

By Gary Rotstein, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Untangling Alzheimer’s Last of three parts

The three men and seven women ignore the box of Kleenex placed between them on the table.

Rather than crying, they smile knowingly at one another’s tales of spouses who transfer supermarket items from other shopping carts to their own, who mow the lawn daily, who mail their government tax payment in an envelope addressed to National Geographic.

Then the support group members, in their 50s and older, play a game of one-upmanship particular to husbands and wives caring daily for someone plagued by Alzheimer’s disease. They discuss the common household items curiously misplaced because of their owners’ restlessness and confusion.

Read more of this December 2000 Post-Gazette story here.

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Puffin

Check out this private site for the Cycle of Caregiver Emotions.

(If you enter the site late at night or when someone is sleeping, turn off your sound first! There is rather insistent music.)

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Puffin

And from HealthGate, some basic tips on coping, including questions to ask when you contact a local care agency, ways to screen in-home help applicants, and lots more.

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Puffin

Want to keep your Alzheimer's LO safe? Review these safety hints for caregivers from Yahoo's Alzheimer's section.

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Puffin

From the U.S. Administration on Aging, here is a caregiver's guide that may be helpful to those fairly new to caregiving. It is not Alzheimer's/dementia-specific.

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Puffin

Are you familiar with these Ten Tips for Family Caregivers from the National Family Caregivers Association?

How do these tips mesh with your own experiences?

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Puffin

Yes, Edyth Ann, it's terrific if friends or family can provide a caregiver with not only some break time but with some attention!

By the way, are you familiar with this material on Alzheimer's from efmoody.com? Some of the content is clearly dated, but it looks to me like a tremendous resource as an overview of some of the behaviors and situations a caregiver faces.

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Puffin

One of the best helps and supports i found while caring for Milly, was a neighbor. This neighbor had lived behind Milly's house nearly as long as Milly had. She would come over and sit with Milly when i had to run out before the husband and kids came home. She would come over to visit with me and Milly. Milly really seemed to have someone around her age come over and I enjoyed having someone my mother's age coming over and mothering me.

Sometimes the emotional side of Alzheimer’s Disease is just as hard to deal with as the physical side. You may have fears and concerns or feel overwhelmed by your situation. Everyone has different ways of dealing with these feelings. Your attitude about your Loved One’s condition, your expectations, and how well you cope with the disease can play a big part in the quality of life for both you and your Loved One.

We tend to rely on formal and informal networks of friends, family and professionals to help us through hard times. In general, having close and supportive ties with friends and family seems to have a positive impact on health. The people you’re closest to are the most likely to give you the support you need. Even so, you may have trouble asking for help. If you do have trouble asking for help, think about specific ways in which people can help, and start by asking one person to assist you with the easiest thing on the list. You may be surprised at how glad people are to help.

If you think you are all alone with your frustrations, sadness, and fatigue, you will find you are part of a great army of caregivers...where every member needs every other member.

To learn more about the importance of support, take a look at the remainder of the piece quoted above, an article by Rich O'Boyle on caregiver support groups.

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Puffin

Also a reminder that our News & Research forum contains discussions of the stages of Alzheimers, medications, and lots more that may be of interest for those just trying to get a handle on this disease.

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Puffin

If you are a relatively new caregiver, you will want to take a look at these caregiving tips from the National Alliance for Caregiving site.

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Puffin

How do you rank when you look over these signs of caregiver distress?

How are you coping?

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Puffin