A Caregiver’s New Year’s Resolutions

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  1. I give myself permission to not keep the following resolutions or to keep them only partway.
  2. When I feel I am imperfect, I will remember that guilt is not an option as long as I know I did the best I could, given the circumstances.
  3. Regardless of how deserving the source, I will say no to requests for my time when I know I can’t add any more to my plate.
  4. I will remember that family members and friends who are not care receivers deserve some of my time. This may mean a little less of my attention will go to my care receiver, and that is okay.
  5. I will follow through with my own medical appointments and screenings, including dental cleanings and eye exams.
  6. I will find a way to monitor my own energy levels so I can recharge my batteries before I hit the point of exhaustion and burnout.
  7. I will remember that seeking advice from professionals, organizations and fellow caregivers is a sign of strength, not weakness.
  8. I will remember that my care receiver didn’t choose the illness or disability that he or she is living with.
  9. I will remember that I didn’t choose this life for my care receiver either, so I won’t be a martyr to their illness.
  10.  I will remember that taking care of my own needs isn’t selfish. Taking care of myself benefits everyone I love.
  11.  I will get appropriate help for myself if depression, anxiety or other mental health issues become apparent to me, my friends or my family.
  12.  I will be open to alternative ways of caring for myself. This can include massage, aroma therapy, some form of meditation, exercise, attending a caregiver support group, participating in an online caregiver forum, seeking out respite care, or meeting with a therapist.

 

Brief Descriptions of LBD, FTD, LATE, and vascular dementia

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Brief Descriptions of LBD, FTD, LATE, and vascular dementia
four illustrations of minds

source: Robert Samuel Hanson via NYT

This is a short New York Times explanation of other main types of dementia, besides Alzheimer’s, including vascular dementia (the second most common type of dementia), Lewy body dementia (where there’s a “constellation of symptoms involving the whole body”), frontotemporal dementia (rare), and LATE (limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, which, like Alzheimer’s, primarily causes memory loss).  LBD is “thought to be underdiagnosed” because cases are not easy to recognize since patients with LBD look very different from each other.  In Brain Support Network’s brain donation work, we have seen that LBD is overdiagnosed! 

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WSJ – Retirement expert’s wife develops Alzheimer’s

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WSJ – Retirement expert’s wife develops Alzheimer’s
Glenn and Karen Ruffenach exit a restaurant after lunch with friends in Dunwoody, Ga.

Source: Audra Melton for WSJ

The author of this Wall Street Journal article, Glenn Ruffenach, is a retired reporter who wrote about retirement planning for the Journal. Four years in to retirement, Glenn’s wife Karen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Shortly after, he became Karen’s fulltime caregiver. Glenn says, “[Our] days revolve almost entirely around Karen, who needs help with everything… Saddest of all, Karen rarely speaks any longer. … All the above is set against a backdrop of paranoia. … Fatigue is far and away my biggest problem. I am always tired, primarily from helping Karen navigate each day, but also from losing sleep over what lies ahead. … Worse, these anxieties, at times, are salted with moments of anger and self-pity.” Much of the article highlights retirement lessons Glenn feels he should have known, such as downsizing, traveling to dream destinations, and purchasing long-term-care insurance. And he regrets not taking his wife to a neurologist earlier.

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