For quite some time, I was the only male in my Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) spousal support group and quickly discovered that I could not resolve some problems for my wife, Clare, in the same way as some women were resolving similar issues for their husbands. It’s not “who has it easier,” because both male and female spouse caregivers have a very difficult time. However, based upon observations in my weekly spousal support group and what I’ve read in my online support groups, there are some differences along gender lines. Here are some of them:
Getting dressed at home - Eventually, people with AD
have difficulties getting dressed each morning and that becomes a time
consuming activity. For some, getting
dressed each morning is difficult because of the need to locate and then choose
what to wear. For others, it may be
difficulty making an appropriate choice of clothing for that day’s particular
weather conditions. To avoid wasting
time each morning, many women in my group simply made those decisions for their
husbands, setting out clothing for them to wear each day. When I picked out clothing for Clare to wear,
she would say things like, “I don’t like you doing that for me. Stop trying to manage my life.” I tried asking Clare to select her next day’s clothing
the night before, but the next morning she would try on several other outfits
before being happy with her choice. So
one gender difference may be for male caregivers to allow extra time for women to
get dressed each morning, and plan accordingly.
Driving – Once a person with AD stops driving, the
caregiver must make an adjustment. If the
person with AD was the sole or primary driver in the family, the caregiver will
now have to do all the driving, or rely upon neighbors, friends, relatives, public
transportation, taxis and car services. More often than not, the female caregiver will
now have to do more driving. My
adjustment after Clare’s diagnosis was relatively minor since I had already
been doing all the driving when in the car together. As the lone driver, however, I had to become much
more attuned to my body and surroundings. Fatigue, alcohol consumption, weather, road
conditions, and possibly even problems driving at night may become new factors
to consider knowing that one’s AD spouse can no longer help with the driving
anymore.
Household Tasks – Clare and I were both born in households
where cooking and housework were considered “women’s work,” but as members of the
first “baby boomer” generation we shared cooking and household tasks after we
were married. I now do all the cooking (or
purchase meals from supermarkets and restaurants), and household tasks, necessitating
an adjustment in how I spend my weekly time.
For the women in my support group, their main household task adjustment
was learning how to do minor ‘handy man’ projects in their home.
Financial and legal
matters – Many women undergo a very
steep learning curve to learn about and handle everything from overseeing their
financial investments to making sure that all of their end-of-life documents are
in order … wills or trusts, living wills, health care proxies, and durable
power of attorney when their husbands are diagnosed with AD. Their husbands often handled these matters without
their active participation. Many female
spouses say that meetings with financial advisors, accountants, and attorneys are
stressful, sometimes overwhelming, and often confusing. For me, although my wife attended virtually every
meeting about financial and legal issues, she always deferred to me to make all
final decisions. I feel quite
comfortable handing legal and financial matters completely on my own going
forward. In these two areas, most male caregivers may have
it easier.
The bottom line – Health care workers should inform Alzheimer’s caregivers about upcoming adjustments to prepare for once their loved one receives an AD diagnosis. Regardless of gender, caregivers should take three important steps immediately ... join a support group, meet with an attorney who specializes in eldercare issues, and meet with a financial advisor. 1.
1. Allan S. Vann. “Three Important
Actions for Alzheimer’s Caregivers.” Clinical Geriatrics. October 1, 2013. Access at:
http://www.clinicalgeriatrics.com/content/Three-Important-Actions-Alzheimer%E2%80%99s-Caregivers.
http://www.clinicalgeriatrics.com/content/Three-Important-Actions-Alzheimer%E2%80%99s-Caregivers.
Published as a guest blog column in McKnight's Long Term Care News, January 10, 2014. Access online only at: www.mcknights.com/blog/archive/8160/
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