Roadblocks and Signposts for Caregivers

Sarah Merriman joins this episode straight from the United Kingdom.  Sarah was the primary caregiver for her Nana for seven years.  Her grandmother experienced cognitive deficits and despite Sarah's attempts to have her assessed, her grandma was resistant.

Sarah was a sandwich-generation caregiver, feeling torn by being pulled in so many different directions.  Sarah now recognizes how that impacted not only her, but her family, her job and her grandmother.  The toll it took on her led to a total break down after her grandmother passed away.

There were roadblocks along the way that contributed to the stress of the journey. The biggest was her grandmother’s resistance to being assessed - preventing her from receiving a diagnosis of dementia until three short months before her death.  This roadblock prevented doors being opened to supports that they both so desperately needed.  Supports that could have alleviated Sarah’s stress.  

Sarah did not identify as a caregiver (or carer as they are called in the UK), and as such she was not able to access much needed information, support and resources.  But Sarah learned from this and once she regained her strength and returned to work, she went on to obtain a master’s degree in Dementia Studies and now is a huge advocate for caregivers, and folks who are living with dementia and early onset dementia.  She truly signposts others to caregiver resources.  

So, if you are looking after someone who couldn’t manage without your help – you are most likely a carer or a caregiver; by calling yourself a caregiver you can remove what may be one of your roadblocks and learn of resources and supports available to help you along your caregiving journey.

If you’d like to contact Sarah, you can do so through her LinkedIn profile; and be sure to check out her blogs, articles and information about her poetry and reminiscence sessions for people living with dementia.