November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and the focus this year is on the support of caregivers. Providing time, attention, care, support to your loved one suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s is both challenging and rewarding. Read stories about how caregiving made a difference and add a tribute on the Alzheimer’s Association website to show your admiration.

Memory loss concerns are worrying for friends and family members. Assessing the situation with patience and focus can help. Here are questions to ask yourself and a guide to taking notes to capture changes. When we are emotional it’s sometimes challenging to remember signs and symptoms in our loved ones.

• What changes in memory, thinking or behavior do you notice?
  What have you noticed that’s out of the ordinary and causing concern?
• What else is going on?
  Various conditions can cause short-term or long-term memory loss and affect thinking or behavior. Are there any health or lifestyle issues that could be a factor? These may include family stressors or medical problems like diabetes or depression.
• Has anyone else noticed changes?
  Has a family member or friend expressed concerns? What did he or she notice?
• Are any of these changes a sign or symptom of Alzheimer’s or another dementia?
  View the 10 early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s to check if they’re on the list.

Print a guide to take notes:

• Guide for those who have noticed changes in themselves – English | Spanish (PDF)
• Guide for those who have noticed changes in others – English | Spanish (PDF)

GW Offers Benefits to Support You

Are your searching for your own support when caring for a family member who has declining memory function? GW’s well-being programs can offer a helping hand:

• Enroll in the Elder Care Support program at no cost through Bright Horizons. Whether you want a professional opinion on  care needs, short-term care, or guidance throughout the caregiving journey, your Bright Horizons® benefits can help.
  • Read Elder Care FAQs.
• Take advantage of adult in-home back-up care through Bright Horizons at a GW subsidized cost. Employees have 10 back-up care days to use throughout the year and can be a mix of child and adult back-up care uses.
• Use the GW Employee Assistance Program to receive five counseling sessions at no cost. You can choose between in-person/virtual (depending on therapist’s appointment types) or use Talkspace text therapy for five weeks.  The weeks must be used within a 120-day window and do not need to be consecutive.

 
Please contact Benefits at benefits@gwu.edu if you have questions about these support programs or other GW benefits.