Navigating Alzheimer’s Risk While Caring for Both Kids & a Parent—How Are You Coping?

sarahperryrn

Hi everyone,

I’m in my 40s, raising kids, and also caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s. My mom has APOE4 x2. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what this means for my own future—both emotionally and proactively.

I recently started looking into early detection tests, including:

• APOE4 genetic testing

• Blood biomarker tests (amyloid/tau levels)

• Metabolic and cardiovascular markers (blood sugar, inflammation, etc.)

At the same time, I’m juggling the stress of being in the sandwich generation—trying to be present for my kids while also watching my mom go through this. It makes me wonder:

• How do I protect my own brain health while caring for my family?

• What steps are others taking to reduce risk (lifestyle, medical tracking, etc.)?

• How do you handle the emotional weight of this?

I’d love to hear from others who are thinking about this—what have you done proactively? How are you coping with the unknowns?

What are their support groups does anyone utilize in addition to this one for children of Alzheimers?

Thanks for any insights!

squeez

Hello and thank sharing your situation. I'm sorry you are going through all of this. I am also In my forties and I was a caregiver for my mother for nearly 2 years. It was seemingly impossible.

With regard to maintaining mental health I was fortunate enough to have a friend who suggested a few things for me and pointed me to a few resources.

I incorporated cold showers into my daily routine. I would take my normal hot shower then at the end I would turn the hot water completely off and immediately put my head under the cold water, the easiest way for me to do this was no negotiation just turn the hot water knob off and commit. I started with 1 minute then the next day 2 minutes and so on. I personally found 7 minutes to be the sweet spot for me. It's very uncomfortable but once it was over it was very rewarding for me. I know cold plunge is a hot trend right now that some may feel it is nothing more than just that, a trend. If you look at the medical studies behind this you'll see it releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, simply put, it induces adrenaline. There are other studies that indicate it increases dopamine levels. I personally believe in this and I found myself feeling motivated and having a sense of reward and accomplishment thereafter.

I also incorporated a short calisthenics routine each morning. For me personally I approach these situations with no negotiation and just commit.

In regard to neuroscience I find Andrew Huberman's content to be quite relatable for me. Here is a link an article regarding cold water exposure.

https://us.getvitalplus.com/blogs/vitalice-blog/huberman-ice-bath-protocol#:~:text=Huberman%20highlights%3A%20%E2%80%9COne%20study%20showed,water%20(~40%C2%B0F).

Also, I use this breathing technique literally everyday. I found this to be invaluable during stressful situations.

https://youtu.be/kSZKIupBUuc?si=zhWzGjU9uydlJ00N

I hope these can help you.

MamaK

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/239346#Comment_239346

this is very relevant to my situation and I appreciate your approach and the way you explained it all and why you do it and what does to ultimately help you to help them! This is great advice! Thank you!