Unique Challenges of Alzheimer’s Caregivers

Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease can often be a team effort. Whether it be decision-making, daily assistance, or simply loving someone with the condition, it is no easy feat, and can be challenging.

For most caregivers, the strongest predictors of burden are the patient’s behavior problems, including wandering, emotional outbursts, and other inappropriate behaviors. In comparison to non-caregivers, dementia caregivers report higher levels of stress, increased depression symptoms, and worse well-being, self-efficacy, and anxiety — all of which have physical health repercussions as well.

Some factors predispose caregivers to more depressive symptoms and stress. Gender and socioeconomic class are correlated to such stress; spouses, women and lower socioeconomic groups have been shown to be more vulnerable. Larger social networks, which provide the ability to arrange for assistance from loved ones, can moderate some of the stressors associated with caregiving, so those with fewer familial and/or friend connections can feel the brunt of the work. Feelings of duty and obligation may account for many of the negative effects on caregivers’ mental and subjective physical health.

There is a myriad of stressful challenges that caregivers must navigate:

Knowledge

Caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s must be educated about the conditions, its symptoms, and the nuances of its care. Lack of knowledge lead to misjudgments of a patient’s abilities, which could potentially lead to greater frustration, stress, and depression, particularly if expectations of care are not being met.

Emotional support

Caregivers must provide just as much emotional support to the patients as much as they do physical. An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can cause a patient to feel depressed, anxious, angry, or all the above. Constant positive encouragement and reassurance is key, and this can get exhausting.

Vigilance

Being on your toes all the time can also become tiring, and this may be the reality of many caregivers for Alzheimer’s. Caregivers must be able to effectively deal with every element of a patient’s care, preparing and planning for every situation. Safety protocols for every environment or event must be evaluated, and adapting to these changes, along with identifying new issues, is incredibly important.

Self-care

In order to provide quality care for a loved one, caregivers also must take care of themselves. Maintaining this balance can be tricky, and dealing with new behaviors, fading memory, and even hurtful words is taxing. Having resources and a support system in one’s arsenal is vital.

Alzheimer’s is difficult for both the patient and caregiver. Caregivers must be physically, emotionally, and intellectually prepared for many challenges. Technologies are striving to provide a solution to ease this burden.

Remote patient monitoring tools like Somatix’s SafeBeing™ wearable devices are moving toward next steps to helping caregivers and patients alike control their health. SafeBeing™ monitors behaviors like wandering, falling, medication intake, walking, drinking, and activity levels to determine not only the current well-being of a patient, but also to make predictive insights. The smartband also connects its users with loved ones and replaces many of the outdated emergency reporting systems.

Caregiving is a journey filled with ups and downs but using these solutions can help alleviate the pressures loved ones feel when caring for their friends and family.