Caregiving can be an incredibly a rewarding life experience as you get to create lifelong and meaningful relationships with the people you’ve assisted, whether that’s professionally or for a loved one.

However, there are also times that it can be extremely taxing, stressful, and overwhelming. Providing the right care for a person with dementia or other disorders is quite challenging. That is because no one ultimately has the facilities to look after another person every day of every week.

Additionally, the intensity of work can lead to a variety of problems such as stress, frustration, and anxiety. Therefore, if you are a caregiver for a dementia patient then there might come a time when you need some help.

We‘re going to give you some advice on how to ask other people in your life, such as family and friends, for help.

What Is The Impact Of Caregiving?

Being the caregiver for a dementia patient is a commitment that evolves over the progression of the disease — needing more skills, time, patience, and decision-making capabilities as it advances. Additionally, the kind of relationship between the patient and caregiver will also evolve over time. Shouldering the grief that comes with a progressive illness, whether it’s on the horizon or just the thought of it, can also take a toll on you.

In short, it can be an enormous stress on the caregiver’s shoulders. It can have a dangerous impact on your mental and physical health and other problems such as:

• Loneliness
• Depression
• Bad sleep cycle
• Unhealthy exercise and diet patterns
• Deteriorating health
• Increased cholesterol, blood pressure, or a variety of cardiovascular problems

When Should You Ask For Help?

In the early stages of dementia, the patient is capable of doing almost all the things they could before they got diagnosed — resulting in you not having to do much as well. However, in the later stages, your load will increase substantially because they may need help with almost every task — whether that’s walking, going to the toilet or eating.

This can induce caregiver burnout. Here are the following signs of caregiver burnout:

• You are agitated at the person you’re caring for.
• You don’t find joy in the things you used to like.
• Your sleep schedule is out of sorts.
• Any existing health problems have worsened.
• You feel more exhausted, even on days you haven’t done much.

How Should You Ask For Help As A Dementia Caregiver?

It is understandable if you find it hard to ask for assistance or help. A variety of factors can make it feel as if you need to place the caregiving responsibility solely on your shoulders, when this isn’t always necessarily the case.

Plan Ahead

It’s much easier to ask for help if you aren’t putting it off until the last minute. Let someone know that you might need their assistance a couple of days in advance, giving them the opportunity to communicate their schedule to you and take the worry off your mind of having someone fill in for the day.

Describe The Situation You Are In

Don’t hesitate to explain why you need the help. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in asking for assistance. Whether it’s a friend, neighbor, or family member, be clear about you and your care recipient’s needs. This allows the other person to fully understand why you need their help.

Be Direct And Concise

Receiving help from someone immediately becomes easier when the other person can understand your message clearly. Instead of asking things like “Can you do something for me?”, ask them directly what your need is. For example, going to cook a meal, buying groceries, or watching your care recipient for a bit.

Organize Yourself

It’s important that you note down all the tasks, chores, and medications the person who is assisting needs to get done. This makes it easier to divide and delegate tasks for the people who have decided to help.

Ask What They Are Comfortable Doing

The person you’re asking may not be comfortable cooking a meal for your care recipient, or feel confident in being able to clean the house effectively. Therefore, it is important that you understand what each individual can and cannot do. This can allow you to give them tasks that are linked to their strengths. And again, the best way to figure this out is through communication!

Evva has features that allow every person on your care team to indicate what they’re strongest at and where they can help. Learn more here.

All in all, there’s nothing wrong with asking for a helping hand every once in a while, especially with a task as encompassing and important as caring for your loved one. This is exactly why it is so important to ask for help from others like friends, family, or other in-home services.