Criticism

"If you have no critics, you'll likely have no success."  Malcolm X

Criticism is one thing of which we can be assured as caregivers.  I have been told by countless families that there has been discord and disagreement from family members about the care of the care receiver.  It is my experience that this criticism is usually from someone who has not been active in helping with the caregiving.  The likelihood of criticism is increased with Lewy Bodies Dementia because of the significant variation in lucidity.  Someone who sees the care receiver infrequently may find the person lucid and think the person is doing better than he or she actually is.  I had a relative who saw my loved one once in over a year and who told Dwane that he did not need to be in assisted living.  What an incredible disservice to Dwane!  And to me.  My advice is:  if a person is not actively involved in the caregiving, they have no right to tell the person the care provided is wrong.  There are rules and regulations for placing someone in a care facility, which is fortunate, as the decision cannot be based on what one person thinks.  To be helpful to the care giver and the care receiver, people can help with the caregiving.  That will give everyone a better and more accurate idea of the needs and appropriateness of care.   In the end, however, we who are caregivers need to make the best decisions we can and ignore the criticism.