Abstract
We have a special message for caregivers: Your loved one will only do as well as you are doing. A caregiver has to take care of himself or herself first in order to be ready, available, and healthy enough to assist another. If the caregiver’s mental or physical health worsens, he or she may become unable to care for himself or herself, let alone the patient. So, if you’re a caregiver, take care of yourself. This means seeing a primary care doctor and any other specialists necessary to ensure your overall health, educating yourself, and enlisting assistance when you need it. If you are overwhelmed, need some days off, or want a housekeeper, then by all means bring in help. This may include other relatives, friends, and/or professionals (medical and other). It also may mean going outside the home for planned respite care, in which your loved one might attend an adult day program or stay overnight (or longer) in a memory care unit or similar facility.
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Lipton, A.M., Marshall, C.D. (2013). Caring for the Caregiver. In: The Common Sense Guide to Dementia For Clinicians and Caregivers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4163-2_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4163-2_7
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