According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the time for caregivers to ask for help is: “As soon as you ask yourself the question.”
As a full time caregiver, many days entail just doing one task after another so automatically that you don’t even realize how little progress is being made.
Taking on too many jobs and overextended yourself when it comes to commitments can be a time bomb ready to explode. A lack of time spent on self-care and enjoyment in life combined with the stress of coping with a debilitating disease such as Alzheimer’s can result in a toll on the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being of caregivers. Tragically many caregivers don’t realize the damage that is being done until it’s too late and they are diagnosed with a serious psychological or physical condition.
According to The Alzheimer’s Association, the following is a list of warning signs (spelling out the acronym “DANGEROUS”) that a caregiver of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) should be on the look-out for:
D Demanding tasks that even when accomplished, do not feel like enough,
A All alone and one feels like they are doing it all by themselves,
N No more happy times,
G Gatherings for family events/relationships with friends are breaking down,
E Employment/job is suffering,
R Refuse to think of oneself or take time for oneself,
O Only person in the world who is feeling like this, is felt by the care partner,
U You time – time for you does not happen
S Social life is non-existent.
If you are a caregiver for a loved one with AD, be sure to tune into the danger signs of caregiver burnout and learn how to ask for help before its too late.
Learn more about topics for caregivers by joining our 25 lesson course at AlzU.org today-CLICK HERE to join for free.
