Middle-aged women in their mid- to late 40’s are now caring for both their own children and caring for aging parents as well. These family jugglers are being pulled in many different directions at once and so are feeling a lot of stress. Most are working full time and provide an average of 20 hours of care a week to one or more family members.

Are you one such woman or are you married to one? According to AARP 40-70 percent of caregivers of older adults have clinically significant signs of depression and may be at a higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Some ways you can prevent these problems are in accepting the new role you play, what that means in the long run and what you need to know to do your best.

There are seven things that WebMD suggest in http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/features/alzheimers-caregivers-sandwiched-between-parenting-your-kids-and-your-parents?page=2.

1. Your loved one may live for many years. Many people with Alzheimer’s live for eight years or longer. Being a caregiver is a serious long-term commitment.
2. The demands of Alzheimer’s caregiving will increase. As the disease progresses your loved one will need more and more help. In the advanced stages it’s a fulltime 40 hour a week job.
3. Caregiving will affect your job. According to Beth Kallmyer, MSW, of the Alzheimer’s Association, about 50% of caregivers work full or part-time and 2/3 of them say that caregiving had a significant impact on their career.
4. Being an Alzheimer’s caregiver will affect your family. You cannot shelter your children from your loved one’s disease and you shouldn’t. Helping will teach your children more than you can imagine, as well as be good for your loved one.
5. Caregiving will affect your finances. “Estimates for the average financial impact on a family for caregiving ranges from $16,000 to $70,000 a year,” says Guy S. Eakin, PhD, from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research program at the American Health Assistance Foundation.
6. You can’t be an Alzheimer’s caregiver alone. It’s too much for one person who has kids and a job, too. You will need help from others in your family, doctors, local and national organizations and people like us at Sequoia Senior Solutions.
7. Caregiving requires skills. Taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s is not intuitive. If you go by the natural thing to do, you can be doing something wrong. You need to study the disease and consult with healthcare professionals, counselors and other caregivers, like Leeza Gibbons on our Monday videos.

You don’t have to do this on your own. We or other healthcare professionals are willing to help in any way we can. You are not alone. Do you need help?

Stanton Lawson is the Co-Owner of Sequoia Senior Solutions. Sequoia’s mission is to ensure a better quality of life for their elderly clients and their families, by providing dependable and affordable in-home care. Sequoia’s focus is to keep you or your loved ones at home and avoid:

 

 

• Loss of friends and possessions
• Loss of independence and freedom
• Loss of spirit which is drained by the battles of daily living

Sequoia Senior Solutions, Inc. services Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties. The main office is located at191 Lynch Creek Way, Suite 102, Petaluma, CA 94954. Email admin@sequoiaseniorsolutions.com  Tel: (707) 763-6600 Fax: (707) 763-6607, www.sequoiaseniorsolutions.com.

Related articles

• Alzheimer’s Caregivers: Sandwiched Between Parenting Your Kids and Your Parents (pdresources.wordpress.com)
• Respite Care Services: Helping Caregivers Get a Break (sequoiaseniorsolutionsblog.com)