Spouses of Dementia Patients Pay a Heavy Toll

I had to put my life on hold when I decided to take responsibility for my mother. After 8 years of care giving, I found great emotional reward in caring for her. However, I met other caregivers that were clearly suffering from the experience.byAlzheimer's Reading RoomAstudy of spouses ofdementia patients at Case Western Reserve University found that:Some caregivers may have feelings of guilt about participating in activities with friends or in the community when their loved ones are no longer able to do soCaregivers report feelings ofsadness and loneliness25 percent of caregivers in the study suffered fromdepressionand, only 23 percent of those questioned did not feel burdened by the responsibilities of caring for their spouses.Learn More -Care of Dementia PatientsStudy Finds Caregivers Of Spouses with Dementia Report Less Enjoyment, HopeSpouses of husbands and wives with dementia pay an emotional toll as they care for their ailing spouse. This has prompted a call for new interventions and strategies to assist caregivers in coping with the demands of this difficult time, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University ’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.“Caregivers have a long exposure to stresses and losses from the dementia and fatigue that comes from caring for their spouses, so they experience fewer positive emotions, ” said Kathryn Betts Adams, assistant professor of social work at the Mandel School. “Some may have feelings of guilt about partic...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer Alzheimer spouses Alzheimer's support group alzheimers disease Dementia Patients loneliness medical science mental health sadness Source Type: blogs