It is not easy taking care of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, but for caregivers, self-care is of the utmost importance.
This message was presented by a Sault Ste. Marie-based registered practical nurse in a Northern Ontario School of Medicine video broadcast across the region November 18th.
Vicky Roy has been a family support caseworker with the Alzheimer’s Society of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma for eight years, and has worked for 17 years nursing and caring for people with dementia.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, which causes serious impairment of thinking and memory. It is the most common form of dementia.
In Canada, 14 people are diagnosed with dementia every hour. World-wide, 514 people are diagnosed with dementia every hour, Roy said.
Affected on a personal level, Roy and her husband assumed the role of caregivers when her mother-in-law suffered from the disease about 14 years ago. Their journey lasted 12 years.
Caregiver role
As an aging parent, spouse or sibling becomes more dependent upon a loved one, it is important to recognize that the role of caregiver can influence both the giver and recipient’s experiences. Therefore, the healthiest way to care for another is to care for oneself.
Roy covered three main areas of self care: tips for maintaining a positive attitude and coping with stress; reaffirming the value of humour; and utilization of available community services.
Self-care is about nurturing the body with proper nutrition, rest and exercise, the mind with intellectual stimulation, the heart with social activities, and the soul with spirituality.
Roy stressed the importance of replenishment, because an “empty well” can lead to burnout, depression and illness.
She dispelled the myth that self-care is selfish or takes too much time. “You will be more able to provide quality, compassionate care if you are renewed and refreshed,” she said. “Depending upon the activity, it can take only minutes but the effect can last all day.”
Respite care
Satellite branches of the Alzheimer’s Society located throughout Northern Ontario offer various forms of respite care, including adult day programs, in-home relief and in-home recreation therapy. Roy also suggested short stay respites (up to 90 days annually) in long-term care homes, accessible through the Community Care Access Centres, a provincial agency funded and regulated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Roy promoted positive living through the adoption of a positive attitude, focusing on what can be changed, appreciating the moment and making realistic expectations.
Fostering humour assists in connecting with others, reduces stress, replaces distressing emotions with pleasurable feelings and changes our biological state.
“Find enjoyable activities and people with whom you laugh the most,” Roy said, suggesting that a good movie can help laugh the stress away.
At the end of the day, it is important to access care services, maintain a support network of family, friends or church, and to live in the moment, taking one day at a time.
“Accept that there are things you can change and things you cannot change. This can be the first step towards making a conscious decision to cope with care-giving in a positive way,” she said.
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