Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or other dementia is a challenging responsibility. In Wisconsin alone, there are approximately 205,000 caregivers providing unpaid care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. These caregivers contribute an estimated 297 million hours of care annually, valued at $5.5 billion. Nationally, over 11 million Americans are unpaid caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, providing 18.4 billion hours of care valued at nearly $350 billion.
The challenges faced by caregivers
Caregivers often face significant emotional, physical, and financial burdens. The role involves managing daily activities, providing medical care, ensuring safety, and offering emotional support. Common challenges include dealing with behavioral changes, handling difficult conversations about topics like financial planning, driving, or safety. Living with dementia and caring for a person with dementia places significant stress on the person with dementia and their caregiver and family, and while these situations are unique to the person and their situation, there are also many common experiences. While many people experience some feelings of fulfillment and happiness as a caregiver, they also report feeling isolated, significantly stressed, and overwhelmed.
Resources and support from WAI
The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute has a webpage offering a variety of resources designed to assist caregivers in their vital role. The Caregivers Resources page on the WAI website provides information, including:
- Local Wisconsin resources: Access to links to find local agencies, support groups, adult day services and respite care.
- Caregiver Support Phone Lines: Contact information for caregiver phone lines
- Educational materials: Video tutorials, links to download toolkits, and lifestyle recommendations to improve daily life for caregivers and people living with dementia.
Visit our newly updated Caregivers Resources page to explore these tools and more.