Dementia Care in Birmingham: Unique Caregiver Challenges of a Senior Dementia Patient

As your loved ones age, they may need more assistance than ever before. Family members have to bear the emotional and physical toll of their loved one’s degrading health, along with high medical expenses for hospitals and memory care facilities. Taking full-time responsibility for your loved ones can be daunting. However, providing them with responsible and trusted Dementia care in Birmingham can take off a lot of burdens. Are you a caregiver of a senior with Dementia? This article will help you understand the challenges.

Poor Psychological Condition

Psychological morbidity refers to the poor mental health of a person. It is common among full-time family caregivers. While memory loss or Dementia is dangerous for patients, it may cause anxiety, aggression, or depression in the family care provider.

Loneliness & Social Isolation

Having a good social life and, at the same time, providing care to a senior with Dementia is utterly all-consuming. These two never go well together. More than half of your day is spent taking on the job of caregiving, leading to little social interaction or no hanging out with friends. Ignoring this may lead to psychological morbidity.

Subjective & Objective Burden

The objective burden is time spent providing care and fulfilling your loved one’s needs and demands both emotionally and physically. How a family caregiver assumes this responsibility is known as subjective liability. Carefully perceiving these two terms can help you understand the amount of care your loved one needs.

Poor Physical Condition

Family caregivers often experience a couple of health problems, such as tiredness, fatigue, low energy level, insomnia, etc. The issues often lead to fatal issues like stress, anxiety, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stomach ulcers.

Financial Strain

Full-time family caregivers usually have to sacrifice their jobs to be with their loved ones 24/7. Also, most family care providers are unpaid. They start facing some financial difficulties. Providing care to older adults for a long time further causes emotional strain.

The Toll of Dementia Patient

Dementia is not just about memory loss. It causes various difficulties like speaking, writing and mobility. Since Dementia only worsens with time, caregivers must understand the situations they may face during the caregiving process. For Example, wandering is common among Dementia patients. Many causes may lead to wandering, such as looking for a lost item, avoiding stressful emotions, or thinking they are going to the office. Incontinence is another issue that happens in the later stages of Dementia. A patient becomes unable to find the bathroom or remove clothes and forgets the urge to empty the bladder. Family members can overcome these issues or lower their frequency by hiring a professional caregiver from Live-in Care Direct. We offer compassionate Dementia care in Birmingham, including respite care, personal care, and 24/7 in-home care.

Final Words

To stay emotionally and physically fit and overcome the challenges mentioned above, it is vital to find a balance between your care-providing duties and personal needs. This is why Dementia care for seniors can be a great option to give yourself a well-deserved break to complete other tasks.