On The Longest Day, and in Alzheimer’s caregiving, many hands make lighter work.
In just two days from now, on June 20, 2016 Team Valkyrie will complete its second year of participating in The Longest Day, a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association. The Longest Day is an annual fundraising effort held on the summer solstice – the longest day of the year. The purpose of the event is to recognize the long journey that is traveled by individuals living with Alzheimer’s and their families, and also the long hours put in by caregivers.
The Longest Day event begins at sunrise – 5 a.m. and ends at sunset – 9 pm. Teams are active all day long and their supporters donate money to the participants for their efforts. Donated funds go to the Alzheimer’s Association for support, education, and research.
Anyone can form a team. And anyone can join a team. Teams can choose one activity or a variety. Teams can be small, or very large. And today, as I was thinking about our team, with 26 members as of this writing, I realized the analogy. If I were doing this event by myself, as a team of one, it would be very tough to make it the whole day. Although, I do have friends who are endurance athletes and probably could handle it by themselves. Not me. For me, I am blessed to have a big team so that at the end of the day, each one of us has done part of the work. More teammates make the day easier.
The same is true in caregiving for Alzheimer’s. The more people on your team, the easier the work will be. (Don’t get me wrong, I would never classify caregiving as “easy.” It is extremely challenging and also it can be rewarding.) When my dad took care of my mom he was, as are many spouses who come in to see me, a “team of one.” He was primarily responsible for caregiving for mom, he was the kind who didn’t want to “burden” anyone or ask for help (even though he was a volunteer driver for Interfaith Caregivers, helping others, for many years.) And that approach took its toll. His health suffered. So when I see those couples, one of the first things I do is give them the toll-free number for the Alzheimer’s Association Help Line: 1-800-272-3900 and tell them to call now and get connected to help.
The Alzheimer’s Association has extensive resources for caregivers in the Caregiver Center on its website, www.alz.org/care/overview.asp. One of those resources is a Care Team Calendar found here: http://alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-care-calendar.asp It allows you to create a Care Team, stay connected with the team by email, and also provide a calendar to coordinate care. Some of the families I work with use this calendar very effectively to coordinate rides to activities, “shifts” for various caregivers, physician’s appointments, fun activities, and other important items. When a volunteer is needed for one or more activities, the primary caregiver can send out an email and participants on the Care Team can sign up on the team calendar. The more people on the team, the more who can reach out and help, and lighten the load.
As we are reminded on The Longest Day, Alzheimer’s is a marathon, not a sprint. For myself, I doubt very much that I could run a marathon (never say never, but the doctor who fixed both of my knees strongly discouraged it.) But with the help of a team, even I could get that done. If you or a loved one is facing Alzheimer’s, don’t go it alone. Get help, now. The more people on your team, the lighter the work will seem. And as I can tell you without a doubt, you are guaranteed to make friends along the path.
