Vegan Diet May Be Good For The Brain

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Dementia Care More Costly-Study

Support from family and friends was given a cost value at recent study which it found that it doubled the overall cost of caring for someone with dementia.

 According to the study caring for  patients with dementia, often called alzheimer's is a great financial burden on society, greater than caring for patients with heart disease or cancer.

Researchers  compared the cost of treating heart disease, cancer and alzheimer's  and found alzheimers care to be 109 billion annualy while, cancer is 77billion and heart disease 102 billion.

The study was done in the USA using US participants.

For the study researchers collected data on ;

• Self-reported out of pocket cost
• Nursing home spending
• Medicare claims data
• Hours spent by unpaid volunteers

The annual cost per person was $56.290.

When support from family and friends was  given a cost value the annual cost doubled, to 215 billion. Researchers predict this figure will reach 511 billion by 2040.

 Read more about this report on the cost of dementia care.

Caring For A Family Member With Schizophrenia

Caring for a family member with schizophrenia is a challenging and a responsible role that can leave the care giver stressed out and feeling down.

Family members own needs are sometimes not met leaving them in need of care themselves.

Caregivers can do a lot to ensure their needs are not left out.  This starts by:

• Being realistic about what to expect from the loved one
• Knowing what is expected of themselves
• Accepting that the loved one has a mental illness

Caregivers can make their work easier by being informed, by knowing what support is available for the loved one and for him/herself.  Being informed about the disease would allay any anxiety and remove unnecessary myths associated with it.

Support from mental health centers and mental  health workers can relieve some of the burden, making it easier for the caregiver to cope.

Here is a list of some common problems that  may present, The article has tips on how caregivers can best handle them . They are:

1.  If the loved one refuses to accept treatment
2.  If the loved one makes bizarre statements
3. if the loved one gets very angry

Click Here to read the article for tips on to deal with these situations.

Caregivers of Those With Special Needs

Caregiving is an important responsibility that can only be replaced by self-care.  When there is a member of a family with special needs, it takes another family member to provide that self-care care through care-giving.

A care-giver will improve the quality of life and replace self-care by taking responsibility for the loved-one.

A caregiver will be faced with his own responsibility to self-care plus that of the family member with special needs.

For the caregiver there may be many challenges along the way. It is vital that the caregiver keeps a balance in his/her life to maintain health throughout.

Here are some tips from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on how caregivers can help themselves and the loved one be safe and healthy throughout. The following topics are covered:

• Keeping informed
• Getting support
• Be an advocate
• Be empowering
• Keep balance in the family
• Take care of yourself

Click to read each in detail.