Family Dynamics in Caregiving: Four Essential Tips / Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias
The Caregiver's JourneyShow Notes
Are you struggling to pull your family together to create a working support system for someone living with dementia? Do you find family members disagreeing on what needs to be done or how to help? You're not alone, and there's a path forward.
We are Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster. As caregivers for our loved ones with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, we've learned that transforming family dynamics into effective teamwork is one of the most challenging—yet most rewarding—aspects of the caregiving journey.
In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Barry Jacobs, a clinical psychologist and family therapist who brings both professional expertise and personal caregiving experience to this conversation. Barry cared for his mother with vascular dementia and his stepfather with Alzheimer's disease for seven years, and he co-authored the AARP Caregiver Answer Book with his wife, psychologist Julia Mayer.
This content aligns with Step 8 of our Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap: Start Planning for the Next Stage of Care, particularly when building your personal support network of family and friends.
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Full Show Notes
Additional Resources Mentioned
Barry’s website www.caregiveranswerbook.com Buy the Caregiver Answer Book on Amazon https://amzn.to/4i9V9ZL Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap guide https://thecaregiversjourney.org/guides/#guides Support the nonprofit The Caregiver's Journey: https://give.cornerstone.cc/thecaregiversjourney
Takeaways
Transforming your family into an effective caregiving team isn’t easy. It’s worth the effort — not just for your loved one with dementia — but for every member of your family.
These four tips provide a framework:
Create consensus (everyone on the same page). Define an ongoing format for decision making (regular meetings with clear rhythm). Build a family caregiving plan (who does what and when). Plan to deal with conflict (don’t let disagreements become disrespectful).
More from The Caregiver's Journey
When someone gets a diagnosis of dementia, there are two people who need to be cared for: the person living with dementia and you, the primary caregiver.” Nancy Treaster
Do you leave your loved one’s doctor’s appointments feeling intimidated or confused instead of empowered? Do you wish you had a clearer role in shaping their care? Many caregivers feel this way, and there is a better way to approach these visits.
Did your loved one recently receive a diagnosis of dementia? Have you already worked through the first six steps of the Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap? If so, you’ve built a solid foundation, and it’s time to keep going.
“There’s no perfect option out there, and there’s no community that’s going to check every single box.” — Kelly Graffius
"Two words have been the foundation of every decision I made across all of my caregiving roles — safe and happy. Before every choice, I would ask, does this help my loved one be safe? And does this support them being happy?" — Sue Ryan