Don’t Ignore Signs of Caregiver Stress

Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease can cause depression, anger and irritability, in addition to taking a physical toll that results in exhaustion and sleeplessness. These are real issues caregivers shouldn't ignore.

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month. The Alzheimer's Association offers a number of resources to help caregivers manage stress:

• The Alzheimer's Association Caregiver Notebook offers tips for care and planning for the future, as well as a list of resources to use when additional information is needed. To learn more or purchase the Caregiver Notebook, visit www.alz.org/caregivernotebook.
  
• Caregiver Stress Check, an interactive quiz that helps caregivers to identify symptoms of stress and provides a tailored list of helpful referrals and other support. Take the quiz at www.alz.org/stresscheck.
  
• Alzheimer's Association CareSource™, an easy-to-use, one-stop online portal for everything you need to widen your care options and plan for care for a person with Alzheimer's. Find out how CareSource can help at www.alz.org/caresource.
  

Learn more about Alzheimer's disease and caregiver stress by visiting www.alz.org.

Great Program for Caregivers

Caring for an aging loved one has its fair share of challenges. For the caregiver who is caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease or another related dementia, these challenges are compounded by difficult behaviors that many times accompany Alzheimer's Disease, i.e. agitation, repetition, hallucinations, and sundowning. The caregiver in this situation is also grieving the loss of the person that they once knew.

On November 16, 2010 at 6:00PM (EDT) the National Private Duty Association is presenting a web conference for family caregivers, who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease. The 45 minute web conference will discuss patient assessment, care plans, caregiver education, safety, and other issues related to caring for someone with Alzheimer's.

While the program is free of charge, pre-registration is required. To register and for more information, please visit the NPDA at http://www.privatedutyhomecare.org/.