Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease brings its own unique challenges. The process of caregiving in general can be draining and overwhelming, but Alzheimer’s caregiving is like learning a whole new profession, sometimes each and every day. Just as each moment may be new for the person with Alzheimer’s disease, each moment may be something new to face for the Alzheimer’s caregiver.

We have provided some information in the past that many family caregivers shared was helpful to them. If you are involved in Alzheimer’s caregiving you may wish to review our post on Sundowner’s Syndrome/Sundowning for tips and hints on the issue of “sundowning” in Alzheimer’s patients (the phenomena of disturbed behavior and agitation late in the day). We also provide one on one consultations with our expert geriatric care managers, who can help you troubleshoot ways to build routines and overcome challenges involved in caring for a loved one who has dementia. Sign up for our email newsletter for additional tips, or contact us today at 888-807-2551 for immediate assistance.

We will be interviewing Alzheimer’s caregiver Gary LeBlanc in future blog posts. Gary is the author of Staying Afloat in a Sea of Forgetfulness: Common Sense Caregiving, a book which brings together his wisdom and writings from his years caring for his father. Here are some words of wisdom from some of Gary’s articles, that may help you as a caregiver:

“The dread of failure is every caregiver’s nightmare. Try to relax and observe your loved one closely. Learn as much as possible day-to-day. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Remember every Alzheimer’s patient responds differently in most instances.”

“Personally watching a loved one dissolve in front of your eyes is one of the hardest undertakings a caregiver must endure.”

“You will go through stages when you feel strong and you are. It requires a special individual to be caregiver to a mind-impaired patient. Anticipate that you will get worn down. That burn out stage does absolutely nothing but cause harm for everybody. So put your pride aside and let others help. This is a job that can’t be done alone.”

We look forward to sharing more words of wisdom from Gary and other Alzheimer’s caregivers, as well as providing good professional advice on caring for a loved one with dementia.

Our goal is to share worthwhile information at a time when information overload is the last thing you need as a caregiver. We offer quick caregiver “tips of the week” via Facebook and Twitter as well, so we invite you to follow us there, or sign up for our email newsletter.