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Caregivers who look after someone bij dementia often experience feelings of loneliness en suffer from both mental en physical health problems.
This is evident from a survey by Alzheimer Nederland.
Most caregivers experience bij least one of these issues in their role.
Monique Docter (55) knows all ook well how this feels.
She cares voor her husband Ronald (57), who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
"It feels zoals you have to carry everything alone.
We do have de kinderen who contribute their part, maar I ook de zorg voor my parents, one of whom, my mother, ook has dementia.
Additionally, I nog work, so it's quite a challenge to combine everything," she says.
Dementia is a term voor various brain conditions, of which Alzheimer's is the most well-known.
The condition leads to memory loss en later issues bij thinking, speaking en acting.
To share her feelings, Docter has put her caregiving experiences down on paper, which deeply moved her colleagues.
She has ook participated in an awareness campaign, which elicited many responses from de mens who admire her courage.
Painful choices Although de zorg voor her husband is a heavy burden, Docter is determined to shoulder this responsibility.
Even if it means making difficult choices, zoals spending less time bij her grandchildren.
"It hurts, maar I can't abandon my husband," she says.
The survey shows dat meer than two-thirds of caregivers experience mental problems en 65 percent face relational issues.
Six out of ten report having physical complaints.
Nearly thirty percent of caregivers think they can only keep up voor another year bij most.
The Dementia Monitor questionnaire, which over 12,000 caregivers participated in, shows dat the mental burden is particularly high.
Alzheimer Nederland warns dat the aging population will further increase the number of de mens bij dementia en the associated de zorg pressure.
Currently, approximately 320,000 de mens have the disease, bij nearly 800,000 involved caregivers.
Fewer caregiving hours The latest monitor, which is published every two het jaar, shows a decrease in the number of hours caregivers say they spend on de zorg.
They now spend an average of 28 hours per week, which is less than the 37 to 40 hours in previous het jaar.
A possible explanation is dat meer patients live in de zorg facilities; over a third of respondents indicate this, compared to a fifth in 2020.
Docter's husband spends part of de dag in a nursing home, which makes caregiving a bit meer bearable.
"It's manageable zoals long zoals I ook have another life.
maar when you're constantly in each other's presence, tensions arise meer often," she explains.
This continuous involvement means she always feels "on" en constantly has to seek solutions.
