As The Primary Care Giver for an Alzheimer's Patient, How Can I Get a Break?


Taking care of a loved one who has Alzheimer's is a huge responsibility and very time consuming. It can bring a lot of stress, frustration and more. You devote all your time to your loved one and not have time for yourself anymore. You always wonder: when can I take a break from her? It is not an easy decision, but sometimes it has to be made for your own well being.

There are different options to consider. If your loved one is in early/mid stages of Alzheimer's you can consider private duty home care. Many agencies throughout the nation and in your community provide this service. A list of providers can be obtained in the phone book, from the local Alzheimer's Association, Area Agency on Aging, or any case management and referral source. The private duty home care can include services like bathing, sitting, taking to appointments, shopping, meal preparation and other day-to-day essentials. This assistance will definitely help you in getting more free time.

You might also try adult day care. The centers usually operate from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm. It is a good environment for socialization. Your loved one will be able to interact with others, but she knows she will be back home for the night. If you decide to look for an adult day care, you will want to make sure the staff is experienced in caring for Alzheimer's patients.

Another solution is hiring an independent in-home care giver yourself. This person will take care of your loved one while you are away. You may be able to obtain names and information about experienced caregivers from places such as your church, Alzheimer's Association, Area Agency on Aging.

Make sure you check the references. Meet and talk with the prospective caregiver and see how the person interacts with your loved one. Touching is very important. It could be a pat on the back or gently rubbing the hand. You can even ask your loved one for input about the person. People with dementia are often perceptive and intuitive.

And don't forget! You have family members as well that can help you. A loved one who has Alzheimer's affects all family members. So if family members offer to help, take advantage of it.

Remember, help is available. Do not feel guilty because you want to take a break. You deserve it.

About The Author

William G. Hammond, JD is a nationally known elder law attorney and founder of The Alzheimer's Resource Center. He is a frequent guest on radio and television and has developed innovative solutions to guide families who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's.


More Resources

The Macrobiotic Approach To Health And Wellness
It may be an ordinary dance studio during the week, but on Sunday mornings this little room in Toronto's west end is transformed by the smells of steamed vegetables, seaweed and miso into Anna Rosenberg's Macro Mornings cooking class. Here Rosenberg provides her students with a basic introduction to macrobiotic cooking.
Relieving Chronic Pain Through Visualizations: A Three-Part Strategy
The most effective way to use the subconscious for pain relief seems to be to encourage it to attack the pain process from three different directions. Here's a recap that you may be able to use to help build an effective strategy for easing your pain.
Alternative Medicine & Herbal Preparations
Alternative medicine is gaining more attention every day. The idea that one can heal their body, prevent physical symptoms and even treat them - naturally - is very appealing.
The Safety of Natural Therapies
Just because something is labeled or deemed "natural' does not mean it comes without risk! Anytime you introduce another substance into your body, whether it be by ingestion, inhalation or skin absorption, there are inherent risks.If you suffer from ANY of the following conditions, PLEASE seek the advice of your doctor before using ANY natural remedy - whether it be aromatherapy oils and blends or herbal teas, tinctures, supplements, salves, etc.
Beating Your Neck, Back and Shoulder Pain
Suffering from neck, back and shoulder pain? If you are, you're in good company. Millions of people wake up every morning and endure every day experiencing pain in their necks, backs and shoulders.
Test Your Indoor Air Quality!
How safe is your Indoor Air?1) Does your home have carpeting?* Carpeting captures dust, dirt, chemicals and everything we track in from the outdoors. Carpeting also outgases formaldehydes and other chemicals used in processing.
Various Types of Herbal Medicine: Used for Thousands of Years to Successfully Treat Diseases
Interest in medicinal herbs is on the rise again and the interest is primarily from the pharmaceutical industry, which is always looking for 'new drugs' and more effective substances to treat diseases, for which there may be no or very few drugs available.Considering the very long traditional use of herbal medicines and the large body of evidence of their effectiveness, why is it that we are not generally encouraged to use traditional herbal medicine, instead of synthetic, incomplete copies of herbs, called drugs, considering the millions of dollars being spent looking for these seemingly elusive substances?Herbs are considered treasures when it comes to ancient cultures and herbalists, and many so-called weeds are worth their weight in gold.
The Universal Calibration LatticeŽ - Your Own Personal Connection to the Universal Energy Source
Now is an incredible time to be on Earth. All of us in our divine wisdom agreed to be here doing the journey of human at this most auspicious time in the annals of humankind.
What are Some Benefits For Quitting Smoking?
There are immediate benefits for quitting smoking. Within eight hours after you quit, the level of dangerous carbon monoxide gas in the blood returns to normal.
Why Do So Many People Seem To Have Allergies?
Allergies and asthma arise from loss of the body's natural resistance to allergens, often beginning with early exposure to secondary smoke, industrial chemicals and asbestos, and the incredibly intensive chemical farming and industrial treatment, of the foods we eat, and fabrics we wear and sleep on.Our ancestors did not suffer these maladies as pervasively as we do, because modern industry since WWII has chemically saturated everything: our homes, fabrics, foods, and air.
Laughter, Why Its so Good for You
For hundreds of years, we've known that 'Laughter is the best medicine'.Laughter makes you feel good for a reason.
Bird Flu : A Disease You Can't Ignore
AS BIRD flu, or Avian Influenza, raged through Asia, countries such as Vietnam, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Korea and Taiwan are stepping up on massive culling of their poultry as they are seized by a realisation that the animal virus could eventually threaten human lives.Their fears are not unfounded.
Oregano Supplements : An Effective Natural Treatment for Fungus and Other Ailments
What's the big deal with oregano? Many of you have eaten foods containing oregano, or even sprinkled it on your pizza, without knowing its healing powers. In a comparative research, oregano topped the list of healthy herbs according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Suffering from Osteoarthritis? Acupuncture to the Rescue
Keeping in tune with our commitment to providing the latest, medical breakthroughs, I recently had the rare pleasure of speaking with Professor Jorge Vas Ruiz, (Subdirector of the Master University of Acupuncture, ACMAS Huangdi located in Sevilla, Spain) regarding acupuncture's effectiveness on osteoarthritis of the knee.For over 8 years, Professor Ruiz and his team of elite professors have investigated the effectiveness of Acupuncture treatment.
Get Hemorrhoid Relief from Herbal Remedies
Here are four different herbs that can give you hemorrhoid relief and help to get rid of your hemorrhoids. Using these herbs is a convenient and cost effective way to treat your hemorrhoid symptoms.
Strong Drugstore Laxatives - Use With Caution
Osmotic chemicals - Saline CartherticsThese chemicals are salts and other compounds that activate secretions of water from your colon walls and into your colon, which are absorbed by the fecal matter. This softens the fecal matter and promotes a bowel movement.
Natural Pain Management
Life in today's hectic society is going more and more in the direction of fast food restaurants, sugar in foods you would never think should be there, trans fatty acids, preservatives and pesticides which we consume in large amounts every year. We even go so far as to invent foods, such as artificial sugars, which your body (in my opinion) does not recognize as actual food.
Static Magnetic Therapy: Does It Really Work?
Recently, a number of articles have been published on static magnetic therapy. Static magnetic therapy is the placement of a magnet field on or near the body to enhance healing, relieve pain and improve body function.
The Aromatherapy Home Medicine Chest - Part I: The Essential Oils
Here we will have a brief look at ten essential oils considered by some to comprise the 'basic home care kit'. While by no means exhaustive, this list will go a long way to providing effective (and often pleasant!) treatments for you and your family for things like cuts and scrapes, sunburn, digestive troubles, stress related conditions and more.
Powerful Essential Oils Kill Nail Fungus
Fungal infection of the nails is the one of the most difficult of all disorders to cure. Both fingernails and toenails may be affected, although toenail fungal infection is the most common type.

More Alternative Information:

Related Articles

How Visualization Is Different from What You May Have Tried for Pain Relief
You've probably tried everything you can think of to ease your chronic pain. But chances are that in your search for relief you haven't tried anything quite like visualization statements.
How to Clean-up Your Allergies with 2 Easy Home Tips
It's that time of year again when people who have allergies complain about nasal congestion, coughing, and wheezing, itching, shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, hives and other skin rashes. Many people experience allergies due to pollens from outdoors combined with foods and indoor stagnant air carrying dust, mold, and other air pollutants.
Health in the Self
What is health?Is health the absence of disease? Is health a birth right or simply luck? According to Ayuveda, India's ancient art of healing, the meaning of health is a single word: Swastha. Swa = self + Stha = established.
Muget Des Bois: A Healing Victory
Known by its other name as Lily of the Valley or May Lily, muget des bois is an English plant used commonly as a perfume. Since the discovery of its virtues in aromatherapy, the use of muget des bois for healing has been increasingly widespread.
Pain Relief: Is There an Alternative?
Do you rely on Vioxx, Celebrex or Aleve (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs) to ease pain? If you suffer from inflammatory arthritis or pain due to injuries, you probably are familiar with one of these drugs. No doubt you have also heard recent reports linking some NSAIDs with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Headache, Hypnosis, And Stress, A Case History
Now, more that ever, concerned physicians are beginning to ask about and understand the role of non-drug therapies to assist patients with headache. These therapies, alone or in combination with medications can significantly impact on headache treatment.
Healing With Color FAQ
Can Color Therapy Be Used With Other Healing Techniques?Yes, color and crystal therapy combine very very well - as does color therapy with reflexology. You can learn more of this by reading additional articles at AkobiAromas.
Laughter and Your Health
Alternative medicine: jokes and humor for your healthWhen thinking about alternative medicine, most people picture plants, crystals, needles, maybe some bugs and leeches, but few realize that jokes, humor and comedy are truly medicines, in their own right. It has long been established that optimists live longer than pessimists, but now there is some hard evidence that people with a better sense of humor also have longer and healthier lives.
Do You Have Difficulty in Waking Up On Dark Winter Mornings?
Our daily internal body clocks or circadian rhythms synchronise the timing of our wake/sleep patterns and our interactions with the outside world.Our body clocks are naturally conditioned and cued to respond to light signals or 'zeitbeigers' to awake at sunrise and sleep at night.
Herbal and Home Remedies that Prevent Memory Loss
Even a single family member who is senile or afflicted with Alzheimer's is enough to make anyone dread the possibility. Since women have always lived longer than men, the Ancient Grandmothers have a thing or two to tell us about how to keep our memory sharp until the day we die (at 100+).
Understanding Herbology
The use of herbs as early forms of medicine or healing aid dates back centuries, as far back as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, East Indian, Chinese, and many South American Cultures. Herbs are generally safe and like warm sunshine, natural and beneficial to mind, body and spirit, not to mention affordable compared to prescription medicine.
Superb Skin Disorder Relief found in Common Diaper Rash Ointment
"Accidental" discoveries are made each day. Common substances can sometimes be utilized for other purposes in which they were initially intended.
Discover The Missing Key to Improving Your Health
Do you know the top ten causes for death? You will recognize them all.Here they are?1.
Using Psyllium For Relieving Constipation
If you have asthma, do not take or use psyllium. Some people with asthma have had allergic reactions to psyllium and the powder from psyllium can cause an asthma attack.
Why Detox?
For most of my life I considered myself fairly healthy. I was not overweight, very slim infact.
A Free Natural Medicine Which is also Your Strongest, Most Abundant, and Easiest to Use
We've all heard, haven't we, that a 40-year-old was considered elderly in the past? With America's aging population, why wouldn't we take advantage of reasons to count ourselves lucky to live beyond 40? After all, as little as 200 years ago the average life span in North America was 37 years. But the idea that anyone over 40 back then is a misinterpretation of statistical data.
Sinus Infection Symptoms, Antibiotics, and Alternative Medicine
Modern Living, Complex Health ProblemsIn our post-modern industrial polluted stress-filled bad-diet culture, no one's health is simple. We are plagued by complex long-term illnesses like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, AIDS, even sinus problems.
Everything Old Is New Again: Rebuilding Your Vision
Glasses, contacts, or surgery. These are the usual choices offered to those of us with bad vision.
Reversing Macular Degeneration: Without Drugs Or Surgery
I would like to report some anecdotal research findings that suggest how our beliefs and our traumatic life history can be directly linked to some of the physical illnesses that we experience during our lives. Additionally, I would like to report that there is now a modality that can permanently release the beliefs and the memories of trauma from consciousness, or as I think of it from the human bio-field, and effectively begin to eliminate the illness at the physical level.
What Is Reiki?
Reiki is an ancient form of energy healing in which a properly attuned Reiki Practitioner serves as a conduit for Universal Life Force (or ReiKi). The Reiki practitioner opens them self up as a conduit for a semi-sentient energy summoned from a higher source to facilitate healing or correct a person's aura.