The Importance of Caregiver Mental Wellness with Loved Ones Suffering from Dementia

It is difficult for caregivers to acknowledge the stress that comes with being a caregiver of a loved one suffering from dementia. You will have feelings of guilt that you hold resentment against your loved one because of the stress that comes from being their caregiver but it is important to keep your own mental health a priority.

UC Berkeley released some statistics that they found after conducting a study from 2007 to 2016 that showed a correlation between a patient’s lifespan to the mental wellness of their caregivers. A few of the conclusions that the study found were:

• Patients that were cared for by family members in poor health passed away, on average, 14 months sooner.
• Of the 176 caregiver-patient pairs that were studied, 85% were spouses, 8% were adult children, and 6% were siblings.
• The longevity of the patients was based on the number of days from Berkley’s initial assessment to the time of the patient’s death.
• The results showed that mortality risk was greater in patients with caregivers in a poor mental state even when factoring in patients’ gender, age, disease severity and mental health.

The study can sound pretty grim but it is important to note that the negatives came from caregivers with poor mental wellness. It is important to be able to identify signs that you might be suffering from poor mental health as a caregiver and we have highlighted a few of those signs:

• Loss of energy: If you find yourself lacking in energy and can sense the lack began when your caregiver duties kicked in, it is likely a sign of poor mental health.
• Overreacting: It is a harder symptom to identify but if you self-reflect and find yourself getting equally angry or frustrated with both small and large challenges, you need to take note of your mental health.
• Social life disappearing: Another sign of poor mental health that can be hard to identify but if your life has started to only revolve around caring for your loved one suffering from dementia, you need to figure out a remedy.
• Sudden changes in weight: A common occurrence with dementia caregivers is that they ignore their own health and only focus on the loved one’s needs. If you find weight fluctuations becoming commonplace, your mental health is also likely needing attention.
• A feeling of hopelessness: If you find yourself consistently feeling helpless or hopeless, it is time to evaluate your ability to care for your loved one suffering from dementia.

Unfortunately, the answer to helping your loved one is to find a care facility that will be able to serve the care needs your loved one now requires.

The decision can often bring feelings of guilt but will likely alleviate a lot of your poor mental health while better serving the needs of your loved one suffering from dementia.