"Just thinking that you can call on a psychosocial worker is reassuring: Having an ear at the end of the phone is essential."
Robert, caregiver for his girlfriend: Fall 2023
Through his testimony, Robert shares with us the resources - both internal and external - that he was able to mobilize to navigate the challenges of diagnosis and the trials of daily life.
One thing is certain, he says: taking care of yourself is essential, and seeking help is a part of it.
Robert, 76, is a caregiver for his spouse who has been living with Alzheimer's disease for five years now.
Initially confronted with successive episodes of depression and severe sleep disorders, his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2018 at the Douglas Institute. "2019, panic ... The situation had become very difficult, even dangerous, with several collisions with the car, numerous self-inflicted injuries, disorientation, etc. Faced with these trials, it was the CLSC de Verdun that put me in touch with the Groupe des aidants du Sud-Ouest (GASO).
The GASO allowed me to quickly communicate with a psychosocial worker, who listened to me and greatly helped me to take stock. Then GASO workshops allowed me to acquire tools to better understand and manage the situation. Sharing with other caregivers has also helped me a lot and made me aware of caregiving. Finding a balance: living with someone you love and diagnosed with Alzheimer's is not easy. Alzheimer's is currently an incurable disease, which progresses more or less quickly. You have to accept the situation, try not to control everything and give space to the person being helped.
During difficult times, we must put our distress into perspective, try to relax by reading, music, or other activities that mobilize our thoughts, relieve ourselves of guilt, not isolate ourselves and not fall into a depressive state... Easy to say, but much harder to put into practice. Luckily GASO is there. Indeed, just thinking that you can call on a psychosocial worker is reassuring. Having an "ear" at the end of the phone is essential and thinking about other caregivers, whom I meet in the organization's workshops or monthly meetings, allows me to put my situation into perspective.
Through all this, the key remains the love of the other that allows us to surpass ourselves and find unsuspected resources within ourselves. However, it is also necessary to take it easy, so as not to wither away oneself and, above all, not to hesitate to call on the available resources. »