Caregiving For Someone With Alzheimer’s

By: Suzana Gvero 

My grandmother has Alzheimer’s. She was diagnosed 5 years ago and some of her symptoms were difficult to notice at first but looking back, this is what was happening:  

• Confusion 
• Misplacing things  
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks

These were the symptoms that my grandmother had but they differ for each person. Some other common behaviors are: 

• Anger
• Nighttime waking/walking
• Difficulty communicating  
• Frequent falls 
• Frequent infections  
• Unexplained weight loss 

Another thing that has been particularly hard for my family to see is when my grandmother believes she is back at home in Bosnia and asks where her relatives are who have already passed away. This is hard for my father to see and for a while he would try to reason with my grandmother to make her understand that the relatives were already gone. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is challenging, and caregivers are at high risk for burnout. Symptoms of caregiver burnout can be: 

• Feeling resentful 
• Social isolation 
• Lack of energy 
• Feelings of depression 
• Anger 

Having the caregiver program help my family has had a huge impact on the health of my grandmother. She is able to be cared for at home by family. In European culture, children are taught that when their parents get older, they are supposed to take care of them. For so many families, this is difficult as they have to work outside the home. The caregiver program helps to give families another option to care for their loved ones. I am a preferred caregiver for my grandmother. 

As a caregiver, I can help with:

• Bathing
• Changing
• Incontinence care
• Prepare meals 
• Light housework

For more information on the “caregiver program” go to Illinois Department on Aging

Another program that can help patients with advanced Alzheimer’s is hospice care. Hospice helps keep patients comfortable wherever they consider home and avoids unnecessary hospitalizations. Hospice supports the family members too through 24/7 availability. If you’re looking for more information on caring for your loved one, please visit us at www.mylifechoice.org or give us a call at 847.777.8888.