As caregivers we think we are indispensable. We tend to look after the needs of our loved one ahead of our own. It has been found that more caregivers die before their care receivers do. What will happen to your loved one if you die first? Have you thought about who would care for your loved one should something happen to you? Do they have Alzheimer’s, dementia or some other disease and they can’t be left alone. Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients don’t do well with change - they get confused and it often makes the condition worse. There are times that it can’t be helped.Case in hand. We’ll call them Sue and Bob. Sue is the caregiver for her husband, Bob, who has advanced dementia. Sue had put alarms on the doors so she would know when he opened them. Friends had suggested that she put a lock up high on the door so he couldn’t get out. She told me she didn’t want to do that because if something happened to her she didn’t want Bob to be trapped in the house. She said her family was prone to have strokes and she didn’t want him to be trapped inside if something happened to her. I’ve known a lot of people that put locks up high so their loved one couldn’t get out but had never thought of them being trapped. Less than a month later I get a call that Sue died in her sleep. So now what happens to Bob? They have children so maybe one of the children will take him to their home or maybe one will move in with him so he can stay in his familiar surroundings. It may be that neither of those options work and he may have to be in a facility. Maybe someone doesn’t have children and there is a niece or nephew that would care for them. There could be a friend that would care for them. It’s a huge disruption to your life to suddenly be thrust into the role of caregiver. The point is to talk about it with your family or friends and come up with a plan as to what will happen to your loved one should you die first. It will help your family should something happen to you to know what your wishes are and make it easier for them if plans ...
