Finding Support
Learn about the importance of addressing your loved one's needs as well as your own.
Coming to Terms With it All
Caregivers reflect on the mixed emotions and life changes they constantly face.
Transcript:
Vivian, Caregiver for Father, 4 Years, Pennsylvania:
It's like okay, gone are the days when I would come home. I'd sit and… Something goofy like read the paper, read a magazine, watch TV, veg out in front of the television or something. Those days are over because again you're worrying about somebody's dinner.
Claudia, Caregiver for Mother, 12 Years, Texas:
…a lot of times my son would get angry and he would call me and say, "Mother, you're always over at Mother's. When are you going to take care of you? When are you going to go do something, mother?" I said, "Well, I have to do what I have to do." And so here's my child worrying about his mother, and I'm worried about my mother, and it's -- I don't know. There are a whole lot of emotions with this insidious disease that have to be juggled and balanced.
The demands of caregiving can be overwhelming, especially if you feel you have little control over the situation or that you’re in over your head.
Judith, Caregiver for Mother, 4 Years, Texas:
I just needed people to support me, you know, Understand me that if I can't call you, I'm not going to be your best friend anymore because my time is now between my household and my mother, and my husband, thank God, he's so supportive, but you have to really communicate with your spouse and anyone else in your family, your kids, because it's a whole big responsibility when you take it on, especially with it being in your house.
Family caregivers provide 80% of the at-home care for people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.
Kate, Caregiver for Husband, 1 Year, Texas:
I immediately told my family and our dear friends. Quite a few people still don't know. It’s not really something that we're not hiding it at all, but you certainly don't want to tell some of these people that are dear friends around the country over the phone, so I'd rather have it be face-to-face.
You are not alone.
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