Purple Sunshine - For All Caregivers, Welcome!
  • Home
  • Smile
  • Cure
  • Care Tips
  • Your Story
  • Theme Song

“It takes a village to raise a child…” That doesn’t sound so bad after all, when we’re talking about taking care of an Alzheimer’s patient.

10/24/2010

1 Comment

 
This week has been amazingly good for Alzheimer’s related causes.  Maria Shriver’s report “A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s” came out and there was plenty of press coverage to go around.   

Moreover, this week’s TIME magazine cover was on Alzheimer’s.   In one of the accompanying articles in TIME,   Nancy Gibbs writes that a third of the caregivers are responsible round the clock. 

I understand this because my dad who is the primary caregiver for my mom never leaves her side. 

The issue with providing round the clock care for an Alzheimer’s patient means that the caregiver has no time off.  There are no free weekends or leisurely trips to the mall, or even some time out for a movie.   

I was conversing with a caregiver and asked her what would be helpful.  She said, “If somebody that lives close-by can just stop by and have tea with my mother-in-law (an Alzheimer’s patient) for 30 minutes, that would relieve me.”

Once upon a time, a neighborhood used to be a place where we all knew each other. Children were playmates, parents were friends, and new people were welcomed with open arms.

Nowadays, we come home from work, or school, and become isolated in our homes. We tend to not bother with welcoming new neighbors or meeting current ones. Their names, likes, dislikes, problems-we know none of them.

What’s the point of this? If we knew our neighbors, took the time to meet them and become actual neighbors, we are more likely to create a support network. Things like providing relief and time off for an Alzheimer’s caregiver could become possible when we come together as a community and offer a helping hand.
1 Comment
Montessori schools link
4/16/2012 02:46:15 pm

Great information about the child care and education school id really good for the families and other ones. It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed information. Although it took me time to read through all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. Keep up the good work.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author - Sharon Kim

    My mother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  It took our family 3 years to get proper diagnosis.  My sister and my father who are the primary caregivers for my mom are going through extreme challenges dealing with the impact of this disease.  This is what inspired me to create and dedicate 4URLOVE to all the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients in the world for their commitment, love, sacrifice and unfathomable patience. 

    Archives

    June 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All
    Affirmation
    Alzheimers
    Bath
    Caregiving
    Change
    Change Management
    Cooking
    Courage
    Daycare
    Dementia
    Denial
    Devotion
    Diagnosis
    Dinner
    Doll Therapy
    Early Dementia
    Emotional Swings
    Exercise
    Family
    Fear
    Feelings
    Finding Cure
    Forgiveness
    Getting Buy-in
    Gift Of Life
    Grief
    Grieving
    Hiding
    Honesty
    Hospice Care
    Hygiene
    Ideas
    Leadership
    Lifestyle Changes
    Love
    Medication
    Memory And Emotional Connection
    Memory Loss
    Missing A Loved One
    Outburst
    Over-dose
    Persistence
    Poem
    Promises
    Quality Care
    Separating With Your Loved One
    Shower
    Smile
    Support Group
    Suspicion
    Teenager
    Walking

    RSS Feed