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Caring for an individual with Alzheimerʼs disease or a related dementia can be challenging and, at times, overwhelming. Frustration is a normal and valid emotional response to many of the difficulties of being a caregiver. While some irritation may be part of everyday life as a caregiver, feeling extreme frustration can have serious consequences for caregivers or the person caregivers care for. Frustration and stress may negatively impact caregivers' physical health or cause caregivers to be physically or verbally aggressive towards the loved one.

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The burden of caregiving can put caregivers at increased risk for significant health problems and an estimated 30 to 40 percent of dementia caregivers will experience depression, high levels of stress, or burnout. Nearly all Alzheimer’s or dementia caregivers will at some time experience sadness, anxiety, loneliness, and exhaustion.

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Currently, there are approximately 47 million people with dementia in the world, the great majority of whom are cared for by family members in the community. A meta-analysis found dementia family caregivers to be significantly more stressed than non-dementia caregivers and to suffer more serious depressive symptoms and physical problems. The situation may be more serious in developing countries where formal services and benefits for patients and caregivers are lacking. Dementia caregivers are at risk for cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension, which is mediated by chronic inflammatory response and sympathetic overactivation. Another meta-analysis found overall prevalence rates of 34 and 44%, respectively, of elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms.
(Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017; 19(9): 64. Dementia Caregiver Burden: a Research Update and Critical Analysis)

Seeking help and support along the way is not a luxury for caregivers; it’s a necessity.

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