I am a caregiver for my 80 year old father. He has Alzheimer's/Dementia. My father has always been a stubborn man. I was in denial about his illness. I figured he'd get better. About a year into his care, I didn't understand how he could forget simple things like using a walker, buttoning his shirt. I wanted him to get better so I was firm with him as far as doing things for himself. We recently saw a neurologist. I now understand a little better and wish I could do that first year over. I would have been more compassionate. How do I get over the guilt of not being as compassionate as I should have been. I've apologized to him a million times, he says he loves me and this is what kills me. He is so kind and I was so harsh.
Your Dad is like my Dad, so very kind. I felt so bad yelling at my Dad whenever he would call me on the phone saying he was going to start driving again. Say what??? It was a hot button topic for me that would rear its ugly head every now and then. If only I knew what was the best thing to say to Dad.
Thank goodness for this website. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to the blue section. Lot of great topics with excellent articles. Thus, read, read, read. Learn all you can. It will help you get you through some of these moments.
The thing is, is that now that you know, you will adjust your expectations. To me, that's why so many family members feel so frustrated. They keep expecting something that is not possible. Now that you know, you can be more realistic. I'd tell dad that I was sorry and move on. Parents forgive their kids, because that's what you do when you love someone. I'd take comfort that your dad may not even recall what you feel so bad about. Moving forward, you can do things differently and take comfort in that.
The journey through dementia with a loved one is hard - really hard.
I’m not sure anyone - in the beginning - says “Ah-ha! This is dementia and I know exactly what to do”.
So, we make mistakes. Hopefully, we learn from them and move on. Doing better.
LovesHerDad, your name says it all. Now - pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. And just do the best you can.
I always revert to the business method of changing - "mid-course corrections". Something's happened, assessment is made, and a new course of action is developed.
Think of how many businesses have had to change direction, and of those which haven't, and some of which have failed. The wonderful Borders chain was said to not have recognized the tech changes soon enough, thus failing to institute strategy changes. And eventually it closed.
Don't beat yourself up; I'm sure that many of us have, and it only compounds that anxiety, regret, self esteem and other factors that we need to rely on to go forward in challenging circumstances.
Now, go have a nice hot cup of tea, cider, hot chocolate, and be confident about yourself. And think how glad you are that you've discovered the real situation now, when you can approach life differently, than a few years down the road.
Caregivers I think are going to face these kinds of situations periodically. I wish, and in regret (!), that I'd thought of a more logical and practical solution years ago.
This is why I try to turn the situation into a business-like situation; I can think more rationally. So I hope this helps you.
You've been there for him and taken care of him, and even after getting frustrated at times you haven't given up on him or stopped caring for him. Give yourself credit for that, because he clearly does.
I love the quote from Oprah above - when you know better, you do better. You'll be more patient now that you understand more, and that's all you can ask of yourself.
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