Dementia - taking care of carers

The physical and emotional demands of caring for someone with dementia can be high. As the amount of care that is needed increases, more time and energy is required from the carer. If you are caring for a person with dementia, you need to look after yourself or these demands may wear you down. If this happens, caring will become even more difficult and it will not be easy to continue balancing your own needs as carer with those of family and the person with dementia.

Stress can wear you down
Everyone has different ways to manage stress. Managing stress improves your wellbeing and may help in your caring role, so it can be useful to learn some better ways to manage it. Bookstores and libraries have a range of books and tapes on different ways to manage stress.

Ways to manage stress
Some suggestions for managing stress include:

• A consistent schedule can make life easier when living with a person with dementia.
• It often helps to remember that the person with dementia is not being difficult on purpose, but that their behaviour and emotions are affected by dementia.
• Learn as much as possible about dementia and encourage friends and relatives to do so as well.
• It is important to talk things over with family, friends and other people in a similar situation.
• Taking care of yourself means looking after your diet, getting regular exercise and maintaining social contacts and lifestyles.
• Be realistic about what you can expect of yourself and recognise that you will be a better carer if you take care of yourself.

• Aim to share the care of the person with dementia.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
• Suggest specific ways that friends and relatives can help, such as bringing a meal, helping with the housework or shopping.
• Organise regular breaks – this is very important. Some friends and relatives may be able to care for the person with dementia on a regular basis. Local day centres can also offer suitable programs for people with dementia and respite for carers.
• Use the services of support organisations such as Alzheimer’s Australia and Carers Victoria.

• Provide information about dementia to friends and relatives. Useful material is available from Alzheimer’s Australia and much of it is written in community languages as well as English.
• Explain that outwardly a person with dementia may look fine, but that they have an illness that, although devastating, is not contagious.
• Accept that some friends may drift away.
• Ask visitors to come for short visits.
• Do not have too many visitors at one time.
• Suggest activities for the visit, such as bringing a snack, going for a walk, bringing a simple project to do together or looking at a photo album.
• Prepare visitors for problems with communication and suggest ways that they might deal with these.

• Your doctor
• Your local community health service
• Your local council
• Carers Victoria Tel. 1800 242 636
• National Dementia Helpline Tel. 1800 100 500
• Carer Respite Centres Tel. 1800 059 059
• Carer Resource Centres Tel. 1800 242 636
• Aged Care Assessment Services – contact your regional Department of Human Services office
• The Aged Care Information Line Tel. 1800 500 853

• It is harder to care for a person with dementia if the carer is tired or stressed.
• It is important for carers to continue activities they enjoy.
• Respite care is available for short or longer breaks.

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