I recently became acquainted with Kate Burke of Montrose, CO. She had been caring for her husband with Lewy Body Dementia on a 24×7 basis for quite a few years. Her website, Caregiver’s Journey (caregiver-journey.com), offers some good advice for all caregivers as do her two books. Thus far, her books have not been LBD-focused.
Her website says: “[Like] so many of her fellow Caregivers, Kate ignored her own warnings and fell victim to Caregiver Burnout. Both she and her husband wound up in the hospital.” “Under extreme duress,” Kate made the heart-wrenching decision to place her husband in a nursing home.
“Do as I say, not as I did,” Kate advises, but then, many of us might still follow the same path that she did, waiting almost too long to accept that their own care must come first if they are to care for someone else. “That’s why we need a Care Team, why it’s so important,” she asserts. “Your team, and everyone on it offer support and (hopefully) help you avoid a Caregiver Crisis that could take you down!”
More recently she placed her husband on hospice, which she describes as “another difficult decision” but with a positive side — more one-on-one help. (He died in April 2017 at a hospice facility.)
“Your Care Team is fluid, constantly changing to fit specific needs. Caregiving is hard, but it has its rewards, too. Having a Care Team is one of them.”
In April 2017, she published a book titled “The Caregivers Journey, Building Your Care Team.” Her website discusses the book series and a few aspects of her journey.
Here’s a link to an article written by Kate for her local newspaper on the topic of “Building Your Care Team.” The article is posted to her website, caregiver-journey.com.
caregiver-journey.com/kathryn-burke-articles/building-care-team/
Building Your Care Team
Montrose Daily Press
By Kathryn R. Burke
March 19, 2017