Show your love this Valentine’s Day – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Care – www.OptimumSeniorCare.com
For many people, Valentine’s Day is a happy occasion to reflect on love and family. When you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, this can be difficult. Learn how you can make your loved ones feel loved this Valentine’s Day.
Show your love this Valentine’s Day
What is the first thing you think of when you hear Alzheimer’s disease? Is it the scene from The Notebookwhere Allie suddenly remembers Noah is her husband, but a minute later is startled and confused when he calls her darling? Is it your beloved grandmother forgetting your name at the last family party? Is it a family member, who has completely lost sense of who they are?
While some of these are accurate depictions of the disease, many people fail to understand what Alzheimer’s actually is. For diagnosed individuals, it is so much more than a little memory loss. It is a fatal type of dementia, and the most common type, that robs families of their loved ones. Symptoms of the disease get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere thinking, eating, taking care of oneself and eventually living. If you have watched a loved one grapple with the severe outcomes of Alzheimer’s disease, you know the emotional pain and grief it can inflict on families.
Alzheimer’s disease not only takes a hold of the person diagnosed, but it also takes a massive toll on the families, caregivers, and friends of those with dementia, who are at the center of this devastating crisis. In Illinois alone, there are 588,000 people providing over 670 million hours of unpaid care to someone with Alzheimer’s disease. The cost of this care is valued at more than $8 billion. Dementia caregivers tend to provide more extensive care for longer durations than those who serve older adults in other conditions. The effects of being a family caregiver are generally negative, with high rates of social isolation, psychological difficulty, and financial hardships – leaving caregivers vulnerable to further emotional and physical grief.
The stresses of caregiving can amplify during holidays, when watching your loved ones memories slowly slip away. Valentine’s Day can deepen this emotional burden and may make caregivers feel further isolated during the holiday. Although, these realities seem challenging, the truth is that the selflessness of being a caregiver for a spouse, friend or family member with dementia is one of the most priceless gifts you could ever give.
Although the holidays are stressful having a place for all those affected by Alzheimer’s disease to turn for information, care and support can drastically improve the quality of life for all involved. At the Alzheimer’s Association, we are constantly working to end Alzheimer’s disease, so families no longer have to bear the burden of losing a loved one. Until that day comes, we strive to provide support and resources to those affected to make their journey a little easier.
We encourage communities across Illinois to show your love for those who may be no longer able to speak for themselves.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php