Feeling Lonely?

Q: I hate Alzheimer's disease, not only has it robbed me of my husband, but it has taken my life too! I feel like all of my friends have disappeared. I am lonely, and that makes me feel guilty. Help!

A: What you are describing is very typical for caregivers. No one seems to understand! Your world seems to get smaller and smaller as you care for your loved one.

In order for you to continue caring for your husband you need to get some rest and take care of yourself, and more importantly reach out to others. I know, I know easier said than done.

There are many options for you. The key is to pick something and do it.

Do something for yourself. It is very easy to give all of your attention to the person whom you are providing care for and neglect your needs.

1. Get a manicure

2. Go see a movie

3. Go for a walk alone

4. Try to take a nap, when your loved one is sleeping. Even though it takes up time you have to get other things done.

5. Buy yourself a magazine

6. Take a bubble bath

7. Go to a spa

If you are lonely you should avoid isolating yourself. Perhaps your friends have left because they didn't know what to do to help, simply because you didn't ask them. If you feel uncomfortable asking for support start with small things and work up to bigger ones.

1. Try inviting a friend to coffee or tea

2. Ask a friend to stay for an hour while you take a bath, read a magazine, or go for a walk alone.

3. Call a local senior daycare program and arrange for your loved one to go there once a week. There are programs available in almost every city.

4. Contact a local Alzheimer's support group in your area. These people do know what you are going through.

If you are truly burnt out and at the end of your rope, you should check into long term care for your husband. If you cannot continue to give him quality care, or if your health is deteriorating you may need to look at some alternatives.

Renee "Dutchy" Reeves is an Elder Care Consultant with over 10 years of working with the elderly and their families. Her online advice column, "Ask Dutchy" provides practical ideas and advice for assisting the elderly with Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Parkinson's, disability, and those needing long term care.

More Resources

Mom Wont Participate!
Q: Six months ago we placed my mother in an assisted living facility. She gets along fairly well, but we thought she would get involved with all of the activities.
Who Wants to End Up in a Nursing Home? NO ONE!
As a long-term care consultant for seniors and their families I have visited many different types of facilities. But my favorite type of facility to visit is adult family homes.
Five Tips for Seniors When Choosing Online Workout Classes
The first month of the New Year is galloping by and many folks are still sorting out their goals and resolutions for 2021. Hooray for you if you've already set your goals. For those hesitating to set new fitness goals after having last year's sidetracked by gym closures, it's time to get back in action.
Stairlifts - Take the Struggle Out of Climbing the Stairs
Buying a stairlift can have huge benefits for your quality of life, giving you back some freedom and independence. Stairlifts can be adapted to your individual needs, so no matter what your requirements are, there'll be one to suit you.
What You Need to Know About Helping Senior Citizens
IntroductionThe baby boomers is the population which haven taken birth after second world war till 1965 when there was a tremendous increase in birth rate due to the social and economic development in the USA. Now this population is going into the old age and thus bringing a burden to the nation as the country has to take care of not only the food and shelter but also the medical care.
Why Everyone Over 50 Should be Training for the Senior Games
by Phil Campbell, M.S.
Senior Living: 5 Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Falling
Every year we hear stories of seniors falling, ending up in hospitals and never fully recovering. Unfortunately, these falls often result in death.
Introducing the Best Available Long Term Care Policy Guarantee
If you're 60 to 70 years old ..
Scaling Down (Almost) Painlessly
Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for family members. However, by planning ahead you can reduce the discomfort involved and turn what might well become a nightmare into a pleasant event.
Alzheimers Care Giving While Maintaining Your Own Health
Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke.
Ask Rusty - Raiding the Social Security Trust Fund
Dear Rusty: I would like to know how much money has been taken out of Social Security by presidents, and was any paid back with or without interest on the withdrawal? Signed: Wants to Know
Caregiving Across The Miles-Tips for Successful Long Distance Caregiving
Caring for a parent or a loved one is a difficult job. Your duties as a caregiver become increasingly difficult as the miles increase between you and your loved one.
End The Tax on Aging
"No one likes to pay taxes. But, it can be downright painful if you are elderly and your income from Social Security is not enough to support retirement. So you try to make ends meet by taking on a job. And then you learn that not only do you have to pay taxes on your earnings from that job but also on your Social Security income, which you funded in the first place with taxes you paid when you were working full time," says senior activist Bob Carlstrom.
Baby Boomers: Will They Be Able to Afford Their Parents?
Do you worry about whether your aging parents have their "affairs in order?" You should. After all, you're the one who will have to pay unnecessary taxes and endure time-consuming court procedures if your parents don't have an effective estate plan.
Prepare to Make Long-term Care Choices
Several months ago, I was coming out of a gas station when a woman stopped me and asked me what I did for a living. On the back of our van is our web address.
What Most Long Term Care Professionals Don't Know
Medicare recognizes this need and, therefore reimburses your residents to receive advanced behavioral health services? making them free to your facility!Psychologists provide a wide variety of valuable and testedclinical services that can provide a big shot in the arm to yournursing home care. For example:1.
Local Businesses Serving Seniors Prove Commitment to Quality Care
Good news! You no longer have to risk chance when it comes to selecting a reputable elder care service for yourself or for a loved one. Senior Approved Services has certified a select number of businesses in our area serving the elderly and disabled populations.
Assisted Living Facilities - What Are They?
Assisted Living facilities are generally for person's 60 years of age and older. Typical candidates need assistance with "Activities of Daily Living" (ADLs), but wish to live as independently as possible.
Arizona Assisted Living: Resident Rights
According to the Arizona Administrative Code (R9-10-710), those who reside in assisted living facilities in Arizona have certain rights. In addition to having the right to live in an environment that promotes dignity, independence, self-determination, individuality, privacy and the right of choice, the following are a few of the rights given to residents who reside in assisted living facilities:1.
10 Tips to Keep a Family Caregiver from Losing Their Mind
Caring full time for a loved one can be a challenging task, and it takes a special person to get the job done right. Patience and compassion are the two top qualities a caregiver must possess in order to be successful.
>

More Elder Care Information:

Related Articles

The Best Investment You Can Make Right Now: Long Term Care Insurance
Don't think you need it? Consider this: a full 50% of Americans over the age of 50 will need long term care at some point in their lives. The average cost of nursing facility care (or home health care assistance) is $61,000 per year, and the average stay in a long term care facility is 2½ years.
Arizona Assisted Living: Resident Rights
According to the Arizona Administrative Code (R9-10-710), those who reside in assisted living facilities in Arizona have certain rights. In addition to having the right to live in an environment that promotes dignity, independence, self-determination, individuality, privacy and the right of choice, the following are a few of the rights given to residents who reside in assisted living facilities:1.
Introducing the Best Available Long Term Care Policy Guarantee
If you're 60 to 70 years old ..
When the Box is Empty
The King had a modest kingdom. He was Danish.
Short Trips Can Stimulate Alzheimers Patients
Severe degradation of short-term memory means that my father, an Alzheimer's elder, is seldom interested in movies or books. And, although music used to be a source of enjoyment, he no longer listens with pleasure.
Who Wants to End Up in a Nursing Home? NO ONE!
As a long-term care consultant for seniors and their families I have visited many different types of facilities. But my favorite type of facility to visit is adult family homes.
Review of the Changing Protein Requirements for Seniors
Youth, it is said, is wasted on the young. Too busy figuring life they hardly take the time to enjoy it.
5 Myths You Should Know Before Choosing Elder Care
Myths associated with selecting quality nursing home care suggest quick and easy ways to identify quality care. In fact, relying on these myths can lead to disastrous results.
Homelessness among senior citizens is a form of "elder abuse"
Here's a startling statistic from the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]: "the homeless population is aging faster than the general population in the United States."
Paying For Elder Care Just Got Easier
It's not a surprise that thousands of families across the nation are facing the challlenges of an aging population. The "sandwich" generation, those who are caring for their children as well as their parents, have been feeling the financial pinch of caring for loved ones.
Angels Are Reaching Out to the Elderly
I am reminded time after time of the profound effect Angels have on people. Recently, I have been receiving manyemails containing examples of how the Angels are reaching through the veils to assist the elderly.
The Golden Years
1) What does Adrian Mitchell say we do to people when their working lives are over?Adrian says that "when a man's too ill to work we punish him", rob him of half his income or replace it with "pocket money" and or place him in a retirement home to sit out the remainder of his live in isolation.2) What does he think about this?Adrian thinks that "the old people are being robbed" and says "to hell with retiring" he believes that the way that deal with old people (to have your ability to sport yourself removed and then being given "pocket money").
Nursing Homes Set Goal To Get 75% Of Staff Vaccinated By June 30
The American Health Care Association (AHCA), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country, and LeadingAge, the association of more than 5,000 mission-driven aging services providers including nursing homes, announced today, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the nationwide goal of getting 75 percent of the approximately 1.5 million nursing home staff vaccinated by June 30, 2021.
Aging Eyes: 3 Ways Seniors Can Protect Their Vision
While you may take healthy eyes for granted, it's important to know that as you age, you become more susceptible to conditions that can impair your vision. The effects of vision loss can be devastating, harming one's quality of life and independence.
Alzheimers Care Giving While Maintaining Your Own Health
Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke.
What About Tennesse Dept. of Human Services Abuse of the Elderly and Their Families?
PART I: Physical Abuse of the Elderly vs. Tennessee DHS Abuse of FamiliesDuring the week of October 26, 2003, newspapers across the state of Tennessee published an Associated Press story that featured the glaring news headline, "Reports of neglect and abuse of senior citizens up 40% in six years.
Long Term-Care; 70 Million Americans Will Be Over 65 by 2003
We will all grow old; this is a given. We will all have health issues as we grow older, this also is a given.
Second Hand Stair Lifts
Buying second hand stair lifts is a viable and cost effective alternative to purchasing a brand new stair lift. Most stair lifts can be purchased new or second hand.
Marketing, Selling, and Serving the Older Adult, Senior Citizens, Family Caregivers
Are your clients pleased by the fine quality service that you provide? Validating your clients' endorsement of you through Certification as a Senior Approved Service will increase your client base. Senior Approved Certification leads a family towards a service like yours side stepping the possibility of connecting with a less than desirable service.
The Dryer Ate Your Underwear!
Q: My mom is in the early stages of dementia and she is also incontinent we have tried to get her to stop wearing her underpants and have her start wearing pull-up diapers, she throws the Depends out the door and puts her underpants on. Of coarse we have a lot of laundry! How should I handle this?A: This one should be fairly easy to solve.
>