Take Care!
Dear Caregivers,
It’s no secret that caregiving for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's is a hard, sometimes debilitating task. What’s more, study after study has confirmed that caregivers can suffer from high levels of stress, depression, and anxiety, which can lead to diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline.
But it’s not a foregone conclusion: A recent scientific study from a multidisciplinary team of experts assembled by The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, outlined several concrete, practicable, achievable steps that a caregiver can do to safeguard your mental and physical health.
These include:
Move Your Body: Try to get as little as twenty minutes of physical activity a day, whether it is walking, swimming, gardening, dancing, or whatever gets you moving.
Flex Your Brain: Spend sixty minutes a day challenging your mind through learning a new language or skill, reading, and doing puzzles.
Stay Connected: Caregiving can be incredibly lonely, so it’s important to spend time with family, friends, and your community at large.
Check Your Senses: Make sure your hearing and vision are strong, and do not hesitate to wear hearing aids or glasses if you find that you need them.
Keep Your Vitals Vital: See your doctor about taking steps to keep your blood pressure at recommended levels; the same for your so-called “bad” cholesterol (LDL).
Mind the Sugar, and Your Weight: Do your best to maintain a healthy weight through diet, and avoid added sugar.
Make Good Lifestyle Choices: Don’t smoke, and drink as little alcohol as you can.
Ask for Help When You Need It: If you are feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or just need someone to talk to, reach out and get support—from a professional if necessary.
As a caregiver, your instincts may often be to put your loved one’s needs before those of your own, thinking that you can somehow “make up for it later.” But as I point out in my book Take Your Oxygen First, making sure you look after your physical and mental health is not an act of selfishness. Rather, is it essential to your ability to be a caregiver over the long run.
Here is some more information on caring for your caregiving self:
Building your Caregiving Mental Health Toolkit:
As a caregiver, you need a host of tools to help you cope and maintain your mental health. Here’s your toolkit.
Keeping Your Personal Relationships Strong While Caregiving:
The stresses of caregiving can cause significant strains on a marriage or any other relationship. Here’s how to keep stress at bay and keep your personal relationships healthy.
Caregiver Burnout: How to Cope
Caregiving for someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most challenging jobs in the world, and it comes with a risk of what is known as “Caregiver Burnout.” With caregiver burnout, you are in a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may also be coupled with a change in your attitude towards your caregiving role, from one of positive, caring, and rewarding to one of feeling negative, unconcerned, and resentful. Here's how to handle it.
Best,
Rosemary D Laird, MD, MHSA
Founder and Chief Medical Officer
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what's left of you."
— Katie Reed
