Excerpts from a recent article in the New York Times: “The details of [actor] Gene Hackman’s final days may never be known. But officials in Santa Fe, N.M., said on Friday that it appeared that Mr. Hackman, who had advanced Alzheimer’s…, had spent about a week alone after his wife, who was his caregiver, died at home of a rare viral infection. … Laura N. Gitlin, a behavioral scientist at Drexel University…, said that when a patient is diagnosed with dementia, their loved ones rarely receive all the information they need. ‘No one really explains to the family what the course of the disease may look like, how to prepare,’ she said. ‘No one checks in on the caregiver.‘” (emphasis added)
The article offers five tips to consider if you become a caregiver for a loved one with dementia — staying social; setting up a caregiving team; seeking help from an expert such as a geriatric social worker; considering technology that can help monitor your loved one; and practicing self-care. A link to the full article follows.
‘Caring for someone you love who is living with dementia is unpredictable, relentless, hard, and, at times, terrifying’
