Helping your loved one with many day-to-day activities can be incredibly overwhelming. An estimated 60% of family caregivers assist their loved ones with activities of daily living (ADLs). These day-to-day activities include eating, bathing/showering, grooming, mobility, and using the toilet.

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia increases the likelihood that you are assisting them with these types of activities. These caregiver stories and resources are designed to help you identify ways to make these tasks more manageable for both you and your loved one. Sharing your own story about how you have managed these day-to-day activities helps others feel not so alone and helps caregivers learn from one another.

► ADVICE FROM REAL CAREGIVERS: View videos on The Inside Story: Tips for Caring at Home

► SHARE YOUR OWN CAREGIVER STORY

Around the Clock Caregiving Videos and Stories

Go to Around the Clock Caregiving to view videos on the following topics: 

• Helping Your Loved One Move covers how to turn and position your loved one in bed and how to transfer them from the bed to a chair or help them in or out of a car.
• Using the Bathroom discusses toileting tips and incontinence.
• Showering/Bathing goes over bathroom safety and gives bathing tips so that everyone feels comfortable.
• Getting Ready provides tips to make it easier to get ready for the day.
• Mealtimes covers kitchen safety, the importance of proper hydration, and ways to tempt poor appetites.
• End of Day discusses the sleep disorders common among loved ones with Alzheimer’s and how to cope with your loved one’s inability to sleep as well as strategies to prevent wandering.
• Caring for Yourself emphasizes the need for caregivers to remember to take care of themselves as well as their loved one.

Learn more about how to care for yourself, manage difficult emotions, connect with your community and support groups, and how to get more information through the CAN Caregiver Help Desk. 

Reprinted with permission from the Caregiver Action Network, the nation's leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age.