NC support group helps caregivers of Alzheimer's patients

Alzheimer's care can leave many caregivers feeling isolated and sometimes they won't reach out for help. Taking Care of the Caregiver is a class in North Carolina that aims to change all of this by teaching different caring strategies, according to The Richmond County Daily Journal.


"In every class, one-third to half of the group are people ...[who] are caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia," Richmond County Hospice business development coordinator Lisa Ledford told the news provider.

"We have had a really positive response from those who have participated."


She warned that caregivers who don't seek out support often suffer from higher mortality rates, because they don't tend to their own health needs. The sessions focus on techniques for dealing with stress and how to positively enforce one's actions.


Ledford stressed that as baby boomers enter their own retirement living, there will be an even greater need for these kinds of groups in the future.


The Alzheimer's Association estimates that one out of every eight boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease, for a total of approximately 10 million patients. 


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