Caregiver stress checklist
How are you doing?
As Alzheimer's disease progresses, a person's abilities change. Eventually, full-time care will be needed. The person will require help with everyday activities, including bathing, dressing, eating and using the bathroom. Providing this daily support can be exhausting. When considering how best to meet the needs of the person with dementia, it is important to think about what's best for the person while also evaluating the impact that caregiving is having on your own well-being.
Experiencing some stress is part of everyday life. However, when symptoms of stress persist, they can be harmful. The following checklist from The Alzheimer Journey: At the Crossroads, may help you identify how stress is affecting your life. Place a checkmark to indicate how often you experience these symptoms of stress.
Caregiver Stress Checklist | Never | Sometimes | Often |
Loss of sleep
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Personal health
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Emotional health
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Loss of interests
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If you answered "sometimes" or "often" to many of the questions above, you may need to seek help to care for yourself. Even with the help of support services, providing care to a person with Alzheimer's disease can be overwhelming. No matter how close you may be to the person, you may want to consider including others in the caregiving role.