If you are reading this at 2 a.m., that is information. Caregiver exhaustion is not a character flaw, and there is more free support in most metros than families ever find.
Short answer
Respite, adult day care, and the free local support most families never hear about.
What to do, in order
- Take the exhaustion seriously as a clinical fact. Caregiver strain predicts poor outcomes for both people.
- Use respite before you are desperate. No published Wisconsin adult day health care median exists -- ask local providers directly, and ask your ADRC whether Wisconsin's IRIS program can help cover it for an eligible participant.
- Take the free support that exists here. Each of the four core counties' ADRCs offers caregiver information and assistance, and the statewide Alzheimer's Family and Caregiver Support Program (ch. DHS 68) can fund respite for eligible caregivers.
- Get a second opinion on the plan. Your county's Aging & Disability Resource Center will review options at no cost.
- Name the thing you are avoiding. Most caregivers know what the next step is months before they take it.
