According to Ezra Fishman, the average age for dementia onset is 83.7 years old (Fishman, 2017).  If I am diagnosed at this age, I will most likely be widowed since my husband is 7 years older than me. My husband and I are not having children, so the caregiving burden will primarily fall to those working at a long-term care facility and ultimately a hospice facility until nature takes its course and my time has come. Before going to live in a long-term care facility, I will need help selling off possessions that I cannot take with me as well as selling my home. For this, I would have the help of my nephews. On the day to day, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living would include managing medications, transportation to and from medical appointments, and management of money. The management of medications would be carried out by the nursing staff and scheduled transportation to medical appointments would fall to other staff members at the skilled nursing facility (Kisco Senior Living, 2020). The management of finances would go to my eldest nephew since this can be done from anywhere in the country. The burden of making sure I am able to perform other activities of daily living, such as eating meals, bathing, using the restroom, and getting dressed, would fall to the skilled nursing staff. 

The initial cost of burden would fall on my nephews. While it may only be a short process in comparison to providing daily care, getting me moved and settled into my new living situation will take a toll on them. This transition is one that can cause stress, feelings of guilt, fear, and loss for family members who have to place a loved one in a long-term care facility (Hooyman et al., 2016). The continued burden of managing my finances and making sure payments are made to keep me housed in the facility would also likely be a stressor for my nephew. Once settled, the most significant burden of my care would fall to the nursing staff. With a diagnosis of dementia, they will likely have to put up with extreme mood swings, the possibility of me becoming violent or aggressive toward them and forgetting where I am and who they are (Hooyman et al., 2016). 

Assisted living – park plaza – orange, CA. Kisco Senior Living. (2020, August 14). Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.kiscoseniorliving.com/senior-living/ca/orange/park-plaza/assisted-living 

Fishman, E. (2017). Risk of developing dementia at older ages in the United States. Demography, 54(5), 1897–1919.  

Hooyman, N. R., Kawamoto, K., & Kiyak, H. A. (2016). Aging matters: An introduction to social gerontology. RedShelf. Pearson Education. Retrieved from https://redshelf.com/app/ecom/shelf. 

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