Family caregivers that are providing Alzheimer's care to a relative or friend often take authoritative role, but this means that they often overlook the preferences of a loved one. A recent study conducted by researchers from Penn State found that caregivers sometimes do not understand what is important to their relatives with Alzheimer's.One of the biggest problems that these caregivers run into is that the people suffering from the disease still want to partake in family activities and celebrations, whereas the caregiver does not feel like they need to.
"That is something that does happen as the disease progresses, but the people in our study remained capable of making decisions for themselves and could express their values in a clear and direct way," said Steven Zarit, a professor at Penn State. "Caregivers who still saw the person with dementia as able to direct his or her daily life were also more in tune with that person's values and beliefs."
Family caregivers may want to take the time to communicate with their loved ones in order to ensure the best type of care.
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