Care for the Caregiver

How many times have I said, "Taking care of you is the best way to take care of your family member with dementia." I don't say that just to be helpful; it is true. When a person who is a caregiver, perhaps a mother or dad working, concerned about family obligations and work obligations, it is easy for that person to just keep going without regard for themselves. I think of a woman I coached who I urged to see a doctor as she was losing weight with no reason. She attributed it to stress of caring for her husband who wouldn't let her out of his sight as he lived with Alzheimer's. Her intentions were good, but it cost her her life. She died of cancer; it had been ravaging her body as she neglected herself in deference to her husband. After she died, he declined rapidly and he's gone now too. It was a sad lesson for those who knew her and were caregivers themselves. Maybe some of them will listen to me now.
Coach Beverly