As The Primary Caregiver, Should I Journal My Feelings About Alzheimer’s Disease?

Next articles: As The Primary Care Giver for an Alzheimer’s Patient, How Can I Get a Break? - Taking care of a loved one who has Alzheimer’s is a huge responsibility and very time consuming. It can bring a lot of stress, frustration and more. You devote all your time to your loved one and not... Alzheimer’s Patients And Verbal Abuse: How To Deal With It - Abuse of any kind is difficult to deal with. Types of verbal abuse can include the following: Does your loved one ignore your feelings? Is he disrespectful? Does he withhold approval, appreciatio... Should I Have a Face Lift - Good question! A face lift is major surgery and surgery means blood, mess, discomfort, stitches and time out to recover. A face lift is expensive too. There are risks to consider, one is hematoma wh... 10 Tips For Better Sleep - We all need some help now and then in getting to sleep. Rather than just popping a pill which can be habit forming and lead to more sleep problems in the long term, try these sleeping tips. One or mo... Cherries - The Supercharged Fruit - The little red fruit that has been enjoyed by countless millions offers more than great taste. Are cherries truly fruit for a healthy you? Recent studies have revealed that cherries offer an assortm...

As The Primary Caregiver, Should I Journal My Feelings About Alzheimer’s Disease?

by: William Hammond, J.D.

Being a caregiver is stressful and difficult. It involves contradictory feelings, thoughts and frustrations. When you have to care for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s, you have to be patient, talk with a calm voice and never “talk down” to your loved one.

Journaling your thoughts and feelings will definitely help you cope with the situation. Write in your journal all that comes through your mind and your heart; nobody but you will read it. It is between you and your journal. Let your pen guide you through the pages. You may want to do some extra research on Alzheimer’s disease to better understand the process and stages your loved one will pass through. If you are a little bit knowledgeable about the disease, the process of caring will be easier on both you and your loved one.

You can keep daily notes on your loved one, such as bathing or eating changes, whether she becomes agitated, and so on. It can also help you remember things to discuss with the doctor.

The good thing about a journal is that it is handy and you can write whenever you feel like it, day or night. It will never contradict you. On the contrary, it will aid you in dealing with your internal emotions; it will relieve your mind and your soul. If you are uncomfortable about writing, then it may be easier for you to express your feelings by recording them on a tape recorder. If you like, you can recall some family gathering you all had together, a camping trip or fishing trip where your loved one caught a BIGGGGG fish! You can read this part to him and it might trigger some memory in your loved one…a memory that was lost to Alzheimer’s.

Journaling will also help you release the burden of care giving you may have. Releasing the burden through the pen will definitely ease the pain. But journaling should not be the only way out for these strong feelings you have. You may want to enroll in a support group. You can check through the Alzheimer’s Association if there is such a group in you area. Speaking to other people will help in getting all these negative emotions out. And most of the participants are dealing with exactly the same emotions because they have to care for a loved one who has dementia. Sometimes, speaking out loud and getting out these feelings will do you a lot of good and you will feel much better after. You may even make friends through these groups, friends that will be able to support you as time goes on.

Remember, you are not alone. You have friends and family to talk to. Maybe you can ask a family member to help with your loved one. It will ease the burden and give you more time to yourself, to journal and to recharge your batteries.

About The Author William G. Hammond, JD is a nationally known elder law attorney and founder of The Alzheimer’s Resource Center. He is a frequent guest on radio and television and has developed innovative solutions to guide families who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s. For more information you can visit his website at www.BeatAlzheimers.com.

Link to this article, just copy and paste following code: <a href=http://www.oqey.com/article1218.html>As The Primary Caregiver, Should I Journal My Feelings About Alzheimer’s Disease?</a>

Article viewed 376 time(s). Read more:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 |