Dave and Bet were our neighbors in an RV campground. Bet was recently diagnosed with LBD and Dave is working hard at adjusting to his increasing responsibilities. “I’m not there yet, but I’m working at it,” he said with a grin. But actually, he’s already doing better than many who've been at it much longer.
One of his first steps was to ask for help. Caregiving is not a single-person task. Like many men—and sadly, fewer women, Dave recognized that right away. When Bet was diagnosed with LBD, they were full-time RVers in Yuma, AZ. He called his daughter, Lynn, and asked her to come and help. She did and together they made it to the Pacific Northwest where Dave and Bet now live—still in an RV but with a permanent address. Lynn and her family live nearby and she helps with the caregiving to give her dad a break now and then.
Dave has learned to ask for help in other ways too—as with his experience with public restrooms in last week’s blog. Asking for help is often one of the most difficult things a caregiver can do—and one of the most important. However, once the need is known, most people are eager to help. During a discussion in an online support group, a couple of women mentioned that their church groups have rallied around, doing things like bringing casseroles, doing the laundry, sitting with loved ones so the caregiver can run errands and much more.
Of course, asking for help can boomerang. Lynn often calls Dave and offers to take her mom the next day. Dave has learned to “wait and see.” If Bet isn't up to going out, the experience wouldn't be pleasant for either Bet or her daughter. Lynn understands, but if it is someone who doesn't understand the changeable character of LBD, they can be discouraged and won’t offer again. In another situation, a woman in a support group shared that a neighbor has been willing to help in an emergency but asked not to be called one again. “She couldn't stand the sadness of it all,” the woman said. This can lead to feeling guilty for asking in the first place but don’t let that happen. Instead, feel sorry for the person who sees only the negatives.
People often don’t know that help is needed, or they don’t know how to help. Or, someone will offer to help and right then you can’t think of anything specific. Or you can think of things, but you don’t know if they fit what the person would want to do. Some people solve this by keeping a list of things that would help as they come up. Things like staying with your loved one while you run errands, coming in to do the vacuuming, bringing a casserole so you won’t have to cook, or even doing the dishes. Every caregiver will have a different list, of course.
For more about asking for help, read our books, A Caregiver’s Guide to Lewy Body Dementia and Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson’s and Other Lewy Body Disorders, both available on our website, LBDtools.com.
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Wise words!
ReplyDeleteIf only GETTING the help was a bit easier.... :(