martes, 12 de junio de 2012

About Alzheimer's Disease: Caregiving | National Institute on Aging

About Alzheimer's Disease: Caregiving | National Institute on Aging

About Alzheimer's Disease: Caregiving

Elderly coupleCaring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease can have high physical, emotional, and financial costs. The demands of day-to-day care, changing family roles, and difficult decisions about placement in a care facility can be hard to handle. Researchers have learned much about Alzheimer’s caregiving, and studies are helping to develop new ways to support caregivers.
Becoming well-informed about the disease is one important long-term strategy. Programs that teach families about the various stages of Alzheimer’s and about flexible and practical strategies for dealing with difficult caregiving situations provide vital help to those who care for people with Alzheimer’s.
Developing good coping skills and a strong support network of family and friends also are important ways that caregivers can help themselves handle the stresses of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. For example, staying physically active provides physical and emotional benefits.
Some Alzheimer’s caregivers have found that participating in a support group is a critical lifeline. These support groups allow caregivers to find respite, express concerns, share experiences, get tips, and receive emotional comfort. Many organizations sponsor in-person and online support groups across the country. There are a growing number of groups for people in the early stage of Alzheimer’s and their families. Support networks can be especially valuable when caregivers face the difficult decision of whether and when to place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility.
For more information about at-home caregiving, see Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease: Your Easy-to-Use Guide from the National Institute on Aging.

Articles

Alzheimer's Disease and Disaster Preparedness
Alzheimer's Disease and Managing Finances
Helping Children Understand Alzheimer's Disease

Videos

View videos and other resources from THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT, a collaborative effort of the National Institute on Aging/NIH and HBO Documentary Films.

Resource Lists

The following Resource Lists contain books, booklets, fact sheets, DVDs, and other materials for caregivers.

NIA Information on Caregiving

  • Using a question-and-answer format, this beautifully illustrated, 44-page booklet offers information about caregiving from afar. It explores topics such as complex family relationships, legal issues, housing options, and advance directives.
  • An essential primer on Alzheimer’s disease, this 80-page publication describes how the brain works and how it changes with age in healthy people and people with Alzheimer’s. Research on causes, diagnosis, prevention, potential treatments...
  • This 40-page booklet for caregivers gives room by-room suggestions for creating a safer space for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
  • For much more information and caregiving tips, see our new booklet, Caring for a Person with Alzheimer's Disease: Your Easy-to-Use Guide from the National Institute on Aging. Tips for Caregivers Dealing with the Diagnosis...
  • This 40-page booklet for caregivers gives room by-room suggestions for creating a safer space for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
  • This 68-page guide discusses key issues at the end of life. Topics include finding hospice care, what happens at the time of death, managing grief, and preparing advance directives along with resources for more information.
  • The holiday season is a time for visiting and reconnecting with family, friends, and neighbors. Sometimes this season can be sad or stressful for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. These hints are our gift in wishing you an...
  • Introduction A trip to the hospital with a person who has memory loss or dementia can be stressful for both of you. This brochure can relieve some of that stress by helping you prepare for both unexpected and planned hospital visits. Here, you...
  • Your Easy-to-Use Guide from the National Institute on Aging This comprehensive, 136-page handbook offers easy-to-understand information and advice for at-home caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. It addresses all aspects of care,...
  • A new environment filled with strange sights, odors and sounds, a change in the daily routine, medications and tests, and the disease process itself can all be factors that increase confusion, anxiety and agitation in a hospitalized individual with...
  • Ever since he retired, Edward dreads going to bed at night. He’s afraid that when he turns off his light, he will just lie there with his eyes open and his mind racing. “How can I break this cycle?” he asks. “I’m so...

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