Each November, communities across the country come together for National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month — a time to raise awareness of the disease, recognize the millions of Americans providing care, and reaffirm our commitment to creating dementia-friendly communities.
Caring for a loved one with dementia is a journey filled with love, responsibility, and for many, exhaustion. Caregivers can find themselves constantly “on call,” with little space for rest.
When we think of caregiver burnout, we often picture someone completely overwhelmed—physically drained, emotionally numb, maybe even at the edge of a breakdown.
Caring for a loved one living with dementia can be both rewarding and challenging depending on the moment and circumstance. The emotional, physical, and mental demands are constant and without proper support, stress can quickly take a toll on a caregiver’s health and well-being.
“You need to take care of yourself, so that you can take care of somebody else,” caregiver and St. John’s Meadows Resident Barbara Smith told local news outlets on National Caregiver Day, February 21.
On February 21, 2025, we celebrate National Caregivers Day, a special occasion dedicated to recognizing the incredible individuals who provide care and support to those in need.
Symbolically linking the passage that a person with dementia travels (along with his/her dementia caregiver) to Neil de Grasse Tyson's description in the series Cosmos, of his dog walking along a beach going back and forth but always proceeding in one direction, the authors of Alzheimer's The Uncertain Journey: Navigating the Challenges set the stage for the significant trials with which the book hopes to assist.
