Caregivers find crucial support through Alzheimer Society support groups

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HURON – The job of being a caregiver for a loved one living with dementia can, at times, be a taxing and thankless one, but there are programs and supports available to help navigate the many challenges.

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Al, Rose and Ron, who requested their last names not be included in this story, are each at different stages in their journeys as caregivers for a loved one living with dementia.

The three of them attended a May 11 caregiver support group in Exeter organized by the Alzheimer Society of Huron Perth, which offers monthly sessions in Exeter, Clinton, Goderich, Grand Bend and Wingham, as well as a specific monthly support group for caregivers with a loved one living in long-term care with dementia.

“It’s for us to open up to each other and to help each other,” said Al. “It’s people helping people. That’s how I look at it. We’re helping each other to get through and we’re understanding.”

Al was a first-time visitor at the May 11 support group. He said he first noticed signs of dementia in his wife during the 2022 holiday season, when she was unable to recognize a friend’s home and was confused about her surroundings as they went to visit and play cards. Her official diagnosis, though, was no more than three months ago.

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“She was actually scared of me and our friend,” he said. “She was angry … but within 20 minutes it was all gone as if nothing happened.”

Rose, whose husband has been in the hospital twice in the past two months and was diagnosed with dementia, also attended the support group for the first time May 11. She said she was looking to learn how to handle situations and find the best ways of dealing with the diagnosis.

“I’m just trying to know how to cope with it,” she said. “I’m just trying to figure out what decisions I need to make.”

Though Rose’s journey alongside her husband is in its early stages, she said she is already being pushed to begin investigating long-term care for her husband.

“I’m just having a problem with that,” she said.

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Ron has been attending caregiver support groups through the Alzheimer Society for three years as his wife’s dementia has progressed. He said being able to hear what other caregivers have tried and how their strategies have been received by their loved ones has helped him provide care for his wife.

“The reason I come to this is the shared experience,” he said. “No two people are the same, but we’re all going to go down this road and it’ll have all different turns. You just have to learn to roll with it.”

Ron said one of the most important lessons he’s learned from other caregivers is to have patience, and that telling himself “it doesn’t matter” when things don’t go according to his plans and schedules has helped him cope with stressful situations.

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That advice resonated with Al as he heard it, and he said finding ways to have patience through difficult situations will help him manage his own stress.

“I’ve got to learn that it doesn’t matter,” Al said. “It’s a learning experience.”

Caregiver support groups are just one of many types of resources provided by the Alzheimer Society of Huron Perth. Support groups are also held for individuals in the early stages of dementia, and educational programs are available for clients, such as the First Link Learning Series, the Taking Control of Our Lives program and the Care Essentials for Families and Care Partners program.

The Alzheimer Society also offers a range of public education programs, some of which cover the basics of dementia and brain health, which could help spread awareness of the realities of dementia and fight the stigma that still exists around it.

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“The more we talk and raise awareness of it, the more the stigma is going to be reduced,” said Alzheimer Society support counsellor Randy Chapman. “Once they know, most people are very accepting and very compassionate.”

The Alzheimer Society of Huron Perth relies on fundraising for a large portion of its operations, and would be unable to provide its services to clients and the community without the support of the public through events such as the upcoming Walk for Alzheimer’s, which will happen Saturday, May 27, at 10 a.m. in Exeter, Goderich, Clinton, Wingham, Listowel, St. Marys and Stratford.

“This is a great thing to do,” said Al.

For more information about the Alzheimer Society of Huron Perth and the Walk for Alzheimer’s visit www.alzheimer.ca/huroncounty.