On the occasion of international day against alzheimer’s diseaseC’est la vie highlights those who play such an important role with Alzheimer’s patients: caregivers.
While the disease currently affects approximately 900,000 people in France, with 200,000 new cases each year, carers allow patients to stay in their homes for as long as possible. In 74% of cases, it is the spouse and in 29% a child.
What does the daily life of caregivers look like? How do they manage their loved one’s illness (marked in particular by changes in mood and progressive loss of autonomy) and their own fatigue? Can they be helped themselves?
To answer these questions, Geraldine Mayr receives Francoise Perrot, who was a caregiver to her late mother with Alzheimer’s disease. She is now a volunteer with the France Alzheimer association in Paris, and is responsible in particular for training caregivers. She tells us about her experience as a caregiver to her mother, whom she took care of for many years, and gives valuable advice to those who are often in the shadows but play a crucial role with their loved ones.
the Dr Veronique Lefebvre des Noettesa specialist in the elderly, is also involved: in 2020 she published What to do with Alzheimer’s? and recently The strength of the caress (both published by Editions du Rocher), in which she underlines the importance of tenderness in supporting the most fragile.