You may be surprised what some caregivers consider to be challenging or difficult as they care for a loved one on a daily basis! Want to see if your day is anything like theirs?
No doubt everyone’s situation is different, with varying degrees of challenges and complexity. Yet in talking to hundreds of families I’ve noticed certain trends that seem to be typical of what a family caregiver would think of as “most challenging”.
Here they are in no particular order of stress and concern:
- Would my mother be safer with me at home, or at a nursing home or assisted living facility.
- I’ve been taking care of my mother with the help of family, her friends and now my friends. What happens when I run out of people to help me?
- Should I install cameras in my house?
- My mom is sundowning all the time. How do I get any sleep?
- What should I do when my mom’s meds stop having the same effect on her, I can already see some changes, what’s next?
- My father just got diagnosed with end-stage Alzheimer’s. What’s my next step?
- Should I correct my mother when she says crazy stuff?
- How do I pay for Alzheimer’s and Dementia care for my mother?
- Should I make changes to my house regarding safety issues now that my mom has full blown dementia?
- How do I get my mom to admit she has dementia?
- I’ve changed caregivers so many times, is that normal?
- Should I hire an agency or hire the help directly?
- When should I get an attorney involved regarding my parent’s finances?
- How should I bring the issue of estate planning and finances to my rapidly debilitating parents?
- All my mom does is talk about dying. I feel helpless, depressed and sorry for her. What can I do?
- Are there any programs that can help pay for my mom’s Alzheimer’s care?
- How can I protect my parents from hucksters and scammers?
- How can I tell if my Mom has Alzheimer’s?
- My mom doesn’t know who I am. How do I deal with that?
- My dad has been involved in a couple of light fender benders in the last month, and one time he forgot how to get home. I think it may be time for him to stop driving. But how do I get the car keys away from him?
- My mom’s not opening her mail anymore, is that a sign of dementia or Alzheimer’s?
If you are asking yourself any of these questions guess what? You are not alone… almost every caregiver I’ve spoken to has at least 4-5 of these questions nagging at them consistently.
I will cover all of these in a series I’ve titled –Caregiving Love Bullets, and for some of them, as you can see, I’ve already provided a link to a specific article already addressing the issue head on.
If you have any questions to add to this series, please write them down in the comment section and I’ll include them in this list.
- The Memory Quilt - October 9, 2024
- Your Mother Wants To Come Home From An ALF, But Your Nephew Has POA. What To Do? - June 8, 2024
- Will Medicaid Take My House To Pay Back Benefits? –Medicaid Myths vs. Facts About Your Primary Residence - February 2, 2024