From the desk of Rosemary Laird, MD
Founder of Navigating Aging Needs (NAN), LLC
The Family Ties That Bind
It’s important and sometimes all too fleeting, but even a brief period together as a family, if you can manage it, does a world of good to help everyone through troubling times. This can be even more true of family caregivers and our loved ones experiencing the changes of Alzheimer’s disease. Having the family around can make your loved one feel more comfortable in their surroundings, and gives them a chance, perhaps, to reminisce about family times in the past.
Keeping Your Orbit!
Your caregiving activities create the ordinary cycles of daily life such as eating, sleeping, and bathing, keeping you “in orbit” with your loved one on a continual basis. I’m sure that as a caregiver, it can sometimes feel as though you are a satellite locked in a gravitational vise around your loved one’s needs. At the same time, the progression of the disease can sometimes change the overall dynamics of your relationship over time.
You Gotta Have Friends!
Several recent scientific studies support the idea that having strong social connections is a key to better health and a longer life — more than a person’s diet and exercise!