Isolation, depression, loneliness…symptoms of the current stay-at-home order. Now imagine this was expected only of you and there was no end in sight.
Many of our neighbors right here in Lincoln Hills are facing this situation. During the early stages of Dementia, things are manageable and with a few adaptations life may proceed as normal. But as the disease progresses the impact on a caregiver grows significantly.
Leaving a loved one at home while the caregiver goes about daily life is okay early on. As the disease progresses the spouse may sit in the waiting area while the caregiver exercises or perhaps a friend will take the spouse out for breakfast while the caregiver shops. However, the time comes when the loved one cannot be unattended or watched by a stranger and someone familiar must be there to assure his/her safety.
As things progress concentration becomes more difficult, the spouse becomes more needy, cannot be left alone and always wants to be in sight of you. What do you do?
Some form of caregiver support is crucial for both parties faced with this situation. Twenty-five percent of caregivers report finding it very difficult to get affordable and helpful assistance in the form of respite care.
The Lincoln Hills Foundation is proud to provide grants to respite programs for Lincoln residents. Two examples follow:
Caregiver is 75 year-old woman caring for her 85 year-old partner with Dementia along with significant health concerns, including COP, Diabetes and heart disease. Caregiver feels anxious about leaving her husband home alone when she needs to run an errand. She also can’t help feeling irritable and annoyed with her loved ones’ behavior on occasion, the caregiver support group she attended was overwhelming and it forced her to leave her husband alone. Using the resources provided through the Lincoln Hills Foundation has allowed her to get out of the house, walk with her neighbor and run errands. She is mentally and physically better because of this break.
In the middle of a pandemic concerns raise to new levels and seeking respite assistance is difficult. A 78 year-old husband is caring for his 76 year-old wife with Alzheimer’s disease. A recent broken hip for her raised concerns about the risk of COVID-19 in a skilled nursing rehab facility so he elected to bring her home with Physical Therapy and Home Health visits. After these services ended, he was grateful for funding from the Foundation enabling him to have much needed in-home respite care.
The toll on caregivers worsens over time. Those caring for a spouse are more likely to report poor health and loss of relationships with females typically reporting more strain than men.
Respite care is essential to maintaining the normalcy of remaining home for loved ones. Support to the Lincoln Hills Foundation, will allow us to continue to offer these services for Dementia patients as well as be able to expand to other needs requiring extensive caregiver support.
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