Coping with the Grief of a Spouse Who’s Been Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

By Marlene Diaz | February 23, 2017 |

Home Care Issaquah WA

When a spouse has been diagnosed with some serious health issue, it can significantly affect their loved one. It’s not easy to get older and have to deal with certain health issues, but when those health issues are affecting somebody with whom you’ve been married for 30, 40, 50 years or more, it can feel devastating.

When a spouse has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it may take time for him or her to cope with that diagnosis, but it can also take a significant amount of time for the spouse to deal with their grief.

Why are they dealing with grief?

Tragedy is often the precursor to grief. Just because somebody has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, why would that lead to grief? Most likely it has to do with various perceived notions about Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. Most people assume, since Alzheimer’s is a terminal, that it means the beginning of the end has already arrived.

That doesn’t have to be the case.

The senior can still have many great years ahead of them. Yes, they will deal with memory loss and other physical and mental challenges as the years progress, but that doesn’t mean they have to give up life right now.

The average life expectancy for somebody diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is between eight and 10 years (Alzheimer’s Association). Yes, some people don’t live that long, but there are cases where people have coped with this for 20 years or more.

Quality of life can remain high.

With the right support and care early on, an elderly person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can still maintain a high quality of life. They need to be focused, have a clear understanding of the various stages, and have plans in place for when they begin to experience more significant memory loss and require extensive support in the future.

In the meantime, though, the couple can still travel, play games, work in the yard, and do the things they’ve been doing most of their retired life.

Getting proper support now is essential.

In order to maintain a high quality of life and help provide the support that senior will require in the future, it’s a good idea to sit down and discuss the prospect of hiring an experienced home care aide now. The more experience a caregiver has, the more they can offer support and begin working with that elderly person on strategies that will pay positive dividends in the future.

In the meantime, that spouse should be given time to deal with his or her emotions.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Issaquah WA, contact the caring staff at Hospitality Home Care today. Call us at (206) 966-6552.

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Marlene Diaz

Care Supervisor at Hospitality Home Care

Marlene brings to Hospitality Home Care's Care Supervisor Team an unprecedented level of passion for caring for others and a wealth of knowledge and understanding in the care services field. Marlene has worked in the healthcare field for more than 15 years in a variety of settings including, adult family home administration, home care HR supervising and working with specialty populations including dementia, mental health and developmental disabilities. Throughout this time Marlene has also maintained her caregiver credentials that she obtained as a teenager because, while her knowledge is best served helping to train caregivers and assist families to get the care they need, her heart is most fulfilled when she is providing care to others. When she is not in the office, you will most likely find Marlene caring for her family, or spending time with her friends.