How Will “Back-to-School” Affect Alzheimer’s Caregivers?
This time of year, throughout the month of August, the “back-to-school” idea is in many people’s minds….students who will be attending school of some type, parents involved in getting them ready, and caregivers juggling school schedules and caring for Alzheimer’s grandparents.
This will involve more planning and scheduling for caregivers of the sandwich generation as their generally flexible or relaxed days of summer disappear and they coexist with school schedules. And Grandma or Grandpa may have no idea of schedule, needing attention just when school activities and homework also require your time.
When I cared for my mom, I had no children at home. However, those months she was staying in our home (when she could no longer live in hers), I also was substitute teaching. Fortunately I had day care for her at a nearby nursing home, but I had to get her up and dressed and leave her there before getting to school. They did feed her breakfast at the home and usually she looked forward to that if I could get her focused.
I often was met with resistance though. “I don’t want to get up.” “I’m tired,” because she’d been roaming around the house most of the night. “Just because you have to go to school doesn’t mean I have to go out.” To compound matters, this was mid- winter in New Hampshire, so we often contended with snow and cold, too.
Sometime I’d think, “It would be easier having a child. I could just pick them up and take them to the car,” when Mother decided to go slow motion. I wondered if she sensed it annoyed me. Or she just unable to move faster that morning.
It would have been so handy to have had a Magic School Bus to whisk her to the nursing home!
Since I didn’t, it required:
Planning and getting as much as I could ready the night before. During those days, I usually didn’t take early morning subbing calls (as I do now), but needed at least to know the night before so I could plan for getting Mother ready.
Develop a system. You might not always be able to keep with it. But it’s a routine that will help keep you on track.
Retain your patience and sense of humor. It’s difficult sometimes, but Mother reacted better if we could laugh at situations.
Keep items that must go to school with me out of the Mother’s reach or they may be displaced in the morning. This can happen especially if Alzheimer’s patients tend to roam at night.
How is “back-to-school” affecting your home as you care for an Alzheimer’s parent and get children to school? What methods do use?
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POSTED IN: Alzheimer's/Care, Alzheimer's/Caregivers, Alzheimer's/General, Alzheimer's/Misc, Alzheimer's/Personal Experiences
1 opinion for How Will “Back-to-School” Affect Alzheimer’s Caregivers?
Sue Lanza
Aug 12, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Mary Emma: Some great tips to keep ready for those difficult days. When school begins, I also think of a different dementia issue. More buses and other drivers on the road means more possible accidents for impaired drivers, like some of our folks with dementia. Thanks for interesting topics, Sue
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