WARNING! Family Caregivers at Risk of “Dementia”

It has long been known that stress and sleep deprivation afflict family members caring for loved ones suffering from dementia.

But what has not been appreciated until recently is that such caregivers often develop symptoms which mimic those found in individuals diagnosed with dementia, including memory loss and disorientation.

In fact, most caregivers with such problems are not suffering from the degenerative brain condition labeled “dementia”. However, they are experiencing the toll of caregiving to a close family member. If steps are not taken to ease the stress, the symptoms will probably worsen.

In time, they will render the caregiver unable to provide necessary care – “burnout” will have occurred.

What to do? Try to step back emotionally. Recognize that all your love and attention cannot reverse the person’s condition. You can only do so much. And that is a lot. Don’t blame yourself.

And you deserve a break – a respite. You need to recharge your own battery to deal effectively with the unavoidable stress of your role.

Don’t hesitate to ask other family member to help out. They owe it to you since you’re already the primary caregiver. If they are unable or unwilling, contact local nursing and assisted living homes. They often provide short-term respite care – during the day or overnight – so you can get the break you need.

You’ll be of no use to anyone if you fall victim yourself to “dementia stress”.

Light Exercise is Good

Health authorities recommend that older individuals participate in 2½ hours of exercise per week. That can be a discouraging number since most of us consider exercise of that sort to require going to the gym or jogging in the neighborhood. But that is a misconception.

What is termed light exercising such as walking and gardening can also be beneficial.

Experts say you can get the same benefit as more strenuous activity by engaging in light exercise of this sort (including slow dancing!) but you would need to double your time commitment to a total of 5 hours each week.

Don’t Change Your Will On Your Own!!!

Many people don’t understand that you cannot effectively change the terms of your will by simply crossing out language or adding new language and then adding your initials or your signature to your changes.

A change to a will, formally called a “codicil” or amendment, requires the same formalities that are necessary to make a will legally binding in the first place.

In practical terms what that means is a codicil must be prepared to change the terms of the will with necessary witness signatures and notarizations (if such is required where you signed your will). If that is not done, the amendments you desire will be considered null and void.

As an aside, if you need to change the terms of your will, please let me know. I can make sure that the codicil is done right.