Alzheimer's: How to help the caregiver...

As an Alzheimer's patient, I am beginning to see the growing role of an Alzheimer's caregiver.

I would like to share with you some caregiver helps you can do to make the caregiver's task a bit easier. The suggestions come from the Mayo Clinic staff  and are concrete ways you can be a good neighbor of the family and caregiver that is walking down this terrible road. The sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Did you know today, over 6.3 Million folks like you and me are Alzhmeimer's patients. That's one in eight older Americans. Over 15 Million American provide unpaid care. Payments for care of Alzheimer's patients are estimated at $200 Billion Dollars in 2012.

Caregivers need your help. Please lend a hand be it at a patients home or even at a dayecare like the ARK in Summerville.

Alzheimer's care is a round-the-clock job. When you offer to help an Alzheimer's caregiver, be specific — and gently persistent.

Alzheimer's caregivers need all the support they can get. If you know someone who's caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease, here's how to help.

Be specific

When someone you care about is going through a difficult time, you might say, "Let me know how I can help." It's a nice gesture, but such offers can be difficult to accept — primarily because they're not specific. Instead, make concrete offers of help.

For example:

• "I'm going to the grocery store. What can I pick up for you?"
• "I've got a couple of hours free tomorrow afternoon. May I sit in for you while you run a few errands or take some time for yourself?"
• "I doubled my meatloaf recipe so that I could share it with you. I brought enough to last you for several meals."
• "Do you need some laundry done? I can pick it up today and bring it back clean tomorrow."
• "Does your yard need to be mowed? I'd be happy to take care of it this weekend."

Sometimes sending a card or making a phone call to check in on a caregiver means a lot. Emails and text messages work, too — but often personal visits are even better. Contact with the outside world can help lift a caregiver's spirits.

• Keep in mind that some caregivers have a difficult time accepting help, mistakenly believing they should do everything themselves. This attitude can be harmful not only to the caregiver, but also to the person who has Alzheimer's. Caregiver stress can lead to irritability, anger, exhaustion, social withdrawal, anxiety, depression and other problems.

If your offers of help aren't accepted, be gently persistent. Remind the caregiver that he or she doesn't have to do this alone — and the best way to take care of someone else is to first take care of yourself.