{
  "id": 44758,
  "title": "My mom has caregivers around the clock. My phone still never stops ringing.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/my-mom-has-caregivers-around-the-clock-my-phone-still-never-stops",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-02T13:38:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/my-mom-has-alzheimers-caregiving-never-really-stops-2026-8"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The author is exhausted from the demands of caring for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. She spends countless hours coordinating her mother's care, dealing with daily calls, paperwork, and emergencies. Caregiving has left little room for her to process her own grief. When her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's two-and-a-half years ago, it soon became apparent that she would require 24-hour care. Despite working full-time and living with two kids, the author was able to get her mother into a Medicaid program and arrange for full-time in-home care.\n\nHowever, caring for her mother is still a full-time job. The author loves her mother and wants to help, but the condition is heartbreaking, and she feels overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in managing her mother's moment-by-moment needs, such as cooking, cleaning, grooming, medication reminders, and ensuring her safety. Even though her mother is still capable of using her phone, the author receives a barrage of texts and phone calls daily, with her mother asking questions about her medication, when she will next see her, and expressing fears and confusion.\n\nThe author lives just a few minutes away from her mother, so whenever she needs assistance, it falls on her husband and herself. Her mother has become increasingly reliant on them for help with shopping, running errands, and managing household tasks. She often loses or breaks things around the house, requiring outside support. The author also dedicates one afternoon each week to spending time with her mother, despite being constantly on the phone managing paperwork, doctor appointments, and communication with caregivers and family members.\n\nOn top of all these responsibilities, the author must manage her mother's health insurance, doctor appointments, medication renewals, pharmacy pick-ups, and bill payments. There is almost always some emergency each week, such as her mother locking doors from the inside, requiring the help of emergency personnel. The author often finds herself on the phone with various parties to discuss how to handle these situations while also managing her own emotions.\n\nThe author grieves for the person her mother once was, but she feels unable to fully process her own sadness due to the relentless and stressful nature of caregiving. Her mother is in her late 70s, and while Alzheimer's is progressive and incurable, the tasks of caregiving will continue throughout her life. The author feels like she has little time to mourn for her mother while continuously managing her daily needs. Despite the challenges, the author acknowledges that each task she performs is an act of love, but she worries about her mental health coping with the ongoing demands of caregiving.",
  "summary": "I thought arranging 24-hour care for my mom with Alzheimer's would ease the burden. Instead, I discovered how much caregiving remained.",
  "key_points": [
    "Author cares for Alzheimer's mother full-time",
    "Receives constant phone calls and texts daily",
    "Balances caregiving with work, family, and health management"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/44758.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}