Dealing With A Loved One’s Memory Loss, What Can You Control?

Have you been watching a loved one begin to suffer from memory loss? It can be terrifying. You may worry that your loved one will be unable to take care of himself or herself. You may worry that your loved one will forget important people and events. When faced with these circumstances and these fears, it can be important to remember two things: there are things you can control and there are things you cannot control.  Focusing on the things you can control may help you cope with and accept the things you cannot control.

Let us take a look at what you may be able to control:

• Your reaction to your loved one when they forget something.  
• You can be kind and patient.  
• You can support your loved one and encourage your loved one.  
• You can create routines for your loved one and give your loved one strategies to help remember things, like taking notes or making lists.  
• You can put your loved one in touch with the right professionals. This may include a doctor to address any medical concerns.  A nurse or other caregiver to attend to needs if necessary.  In addition, an estate planning lawyer to help create an estate plan that could be put into effect in order to carry out his or her wishes in case memory loss worsens and your loved one is unable to do so in the future.  
• You can make efforts to help ensure he or she feels loved and supported.

All of these things, and more, may be within your control and the more you focus on them, the more you may be able to cope with the main thing that you cannot control, you cannot fix their memory. Oftentimes, those with family suffering from memory loss struggle to grasp the fact that they cannot make a loved one remember. It can be so hard to watch a loved one’s memory seem to fade away and it can be easy to feel helpless.  Focusing on all the things that you can do to have a positive impact on your loved one can help you feel more in control and give you more peace.  Remember to give yourself some grace because this can be really hard.  Make sure you take care of yourself, too. Your loved ones need you.

Should you or a loved one need an estate plan or need to update an estate plan, please get in touch with our office to schedule an appointment. We are here to help.