I was talking to someone who is caring for his wife, who has Alzheimer’s, with very little support the other day. He said, “It’s like being in prison.” He was out for a few short moments because he found a family member willing to watch her while he ran up the street to do errands. It turned out one of the things he needs was 20 minutes away and he couldn’t leave the person giving him a break for the hour it would take to get the item.

Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s is very stressful and we need to remember to take care of ourselves. This man was burned out and exhausted and needed more than a few minutes’ break, but he relies on friends and family for help and they aren’t really available. There must be a solution for people who don’t have the money to pay for qualified help. I’ve mentioned before that finding someone to barter care with is one solution. They watch the person with Alzheimer’s for a few hours and you clean their gutters and run to the store. However, that isn’t really enough of a break. There’s still no down time, no way to really relax.

If you have a great solution, I’d love to hear it.

Posted by on 01.27.2008 • Caregiver Support