When my wife, Vicki, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, I assumed — like many families — that the path forward would be difficult, but manageable with help.
I was wrong.
While living in Naples, I hired caregivers through an agency, believing that would provide the structure and oversight we needed. The caregivers were good people — well-intentioned — but the care itself was inconsistent, uncoordinated, and increasingly risky as Vicki’s condition declined.
One day, I came home from the gym and found Vicki alone.
She was outside on our pool deck. She was smoking. The caregiver had left.
When I called the agency, I was told she had gone home because my wife told her to. My wife had Alzheimer’s. And the caregiver followed her instructions.
That moment made something unmistakably clear: Care was being delivered, but it was not being led.
Over time, that lack of structure and leadership created a slow unraveling. Each day felt reactive. Each decision uncertain. And despite our best efforts, we were losing ground.
Eventually, I made the difficult decision to leave Naples, consolidate our lives, and try to regain control of her care.
But what changed our trajectory was not more help. It was different help.
In 2023, I independently hired a licensed practical nurse (LPN), Savannah Moore. Within days of entering our home she did something no one else had done: She assessed the situation clinically, identified gaps in care, and began to build a plan. Not a schedule, but a system. She introduced structure where there had been inconsistency. She formed a team and implemented routines where there had been guesswork. She aligned daily care with clinical intent. And most importantly, she led.
At the same time, I began to understand my own role differently. For months, I had been reacting, trying to manage an increasingly complex situation without a framework. But as structure took hold, I was able to step into a role I understood from my professional life: taking responsibility for the overall system of care.
Together, those two forms of leadership — clinical and organizational — changed everything.
The impact became clear quickly. Consistency reduced anxiety. Standardized approaches reduced agitation. Caregivers became aligned. And over time, Vicki stabilized in ways we had not seen in years. Her quality of life improved. Our home became calmer. And the constant strain, that was even affecting me, began to lift.
Looking back, the lesson is clear: Alzheimer’s care at home does not fail for lack of compassion. It fails for lack of leadership — especially clinical leadership.
Caregiving is often thought of as a series of tasks: meals, hygiene, supervision. But Alzheimer’s is not a task-based disease. It is a complex neurological condition that requires observation, interpretation, and adaptation every single day. That is what trained nurses are uniquely equipped to provide. And when that leadership is combined with clear ownership and support from the family, care becomes something entirely different:
While every caregiving journey is different, there are a few lessons I would offer to families navigating this path: First, involve clinical leadership early. The earlier a trained nurse is involved in guiding care, the more stable the trajectory can become.
Second, prioritize consistency over convenience. Aligned routines and caregivers matter more than simply filling shifts.
Third, build a team, not a patchwork. Care works best when it is coordinated and led, not pieced together.
Finally, value and support those who provide care. When caregivers are trained, respected, and invested in, they improve, and so does the care.
Families in Southwest Florida have both the desire and the means to care for loved ones at home. What they often lack is a clear model for how to do it well. That distinction matters more than most realize. It certainly did for us.
George Clinton is a Naples, Florida, and Richmond, Indiana resident and caregiver advocate who developed a nurse-led in-home care model during his wife’s Alzheimer’s journey, in partnership with nurse Savannah Moore, building and supporting a team of caregivers. He has a background in leadership and is currently writing a book on leadership in caregiving.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Meeting the challenge of Alzheimer’s disease care at home | Opinion
Reporting by George Clinton / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
