Caregivers experience dementia symptoms first-hand
January 18, 2012
The number of people who are caring for their elderly loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia continues to rise. However, many caregivers do not completely understand what it is like to be the one they care for – until now, according to the news channel WXYZ-TV.
In Sterling Heights, Michigan, caregivers can attend the Virtual Dementia Tour: Changing the Perception of Aging, to see first-hand what it is like to live with dementia.
“Their brain is befuddled. It’s all tangles,” Jill Rutledge, a caregiver for over 40 years, told the news source. “You can’t get mad at something they can’t help.”
Family caregivers who look after a loved with dementia may also want to take advantage of a medical alert device, which allows the senior contact to emergency services in the event of a fall. This can be especially useful when a caregiver can not provide around-the-clock care, as one third of seniors over the age of 65 fall each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
