Source: https://www.pexels.com/
Taking care of someone with dementia can be very rewarding, but it can also be very difficult, exhausting, lonely and, at times, overwhelming. As the needs of the person with dementia change, they may have to deal with many different feelings. The feelings that family members and caregivers of people with dementia often experience are feelings of guilt, sadness, loss and anger.
Rage
It is natural to feel frustrated and angry: angry at having to be a caregiver, angry at others who are not helping, angry at the person with Dementia due to their difficult behaviors and angry at support services.
Feelings of anguish, frustration, guilt, tiredness, and boredom are quite normal.
It is important to talk about your feelings with someone, such as your doctor
Sadness and loss: Sadness is an emotional response to loss. The loss can be for several reasons, such as ending a relationship, moving house, losing health, divorce or death. If someone close develops Dementia, we are faced with the loss of the person we knew previously and the relationship we had with them. People who care for their spouses may feel sad that there is a loss of the future that they have planned to share. Sadness is a very individual feeling and people can feel it in different ways, at different times. It will not always become easier over time.
Source: https://www.pexels.com
Guilt
It is quite common to feel guilty for:
-the way the person with Dementia has been treated in the past,
-being ashamed of the person’s strange behavior,
-losing his temper or guilty for not wanting the responsibility of caring for a person with Insanity.
-the person with Dementia goes to a hospital or a residential home, despite having done everything he could, for not being able to keep him at home any longer.
-making past promises, such as “I will always take care of you”, and then failing to keep them
