Who Will Care for the Carers?

January 8, 2008

(Source: Independent.ie) - Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's

disease may be too much for some. Though you may have promised to be

there through " thick and thin " , " for better or for worse, " some

caregivers crack under the pressure.

In a British newspaper, a daughter described the bitterness she felt

caring for her elderly mother, who she resented for still being

alive. Her story prompted a national response from carergivers in

various stages of exhaustion and despair. Some criticized her, others

spoke of their devotion to their own older relative, but also the

burden of caring for them.

In describing how looks after his mother with

Alzheimer's disease, he struck a chord with many: " The moment I lost

it ... came after she cried out for me to take her to the

lavatory ... for the 47th time [that night]. "

In Ireland only four of every 100 older people go into nursing homes,

which means that 96 percent live out their lives at home, looking

after themselves, or with some family support.

, of the Carergivers Association in Ireland,

explained, " Caregiverrs do what they do out of love, not out of

choice. " " Unfortunately, that love is often taken for granted by the

government, by society and by other family members, so when one steps

up to do it, the others step back. If the person gets a caregiverr's

allowance, the feeling is 'she's being paid for it.' "

Sometimes caregivers become angry and frustrated with the person

they're looking after, and in rare situations there is even elder

abuse.

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