Larry Ruvo, founder of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and Angie Ruvo Endowed Caregiving Chair, understands the challenges of being a caregiver and how important it is for caregivers to know how to fulfill this role. Here, he shares his story.
How He Became a Caregiver
Ruvo’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which took a toll on his mother. To help her during this difficult time, Ruvo turned to some of his father’s friends, who didn’t have any knowledge of caregiving. “These people were just companions, people who could take my dad for a ride or take him to the golf course and hit a few balls,” says Ruvo. “When the disease started to progress, that’s when we started to look for caregivers, at which point I discovered that many caregivers were basically no better than some of my dad’s friends.” The main problem was that they weren’t truly educated or aware of what a real caregiver does. A dedicated caregiver is trained and knows what to do for the patient. A dedicated caregiver knows, like an oxygen mask in an airplane, that they should take care of themselves first, and then the patient. For example, they shouldn’t be sleep-deprived and malnourished, Ruvo explains. After his father passed away in 1994, Ruvo’s mom started going to support groups to help her cope with the loss. “The support group helped my mother more than anything; it was so meaningful for her," he said. Sadly, Ruvo’s mom passed away this spring, but over the years “my mom would tell people how important it is to be knowledgeable about being a caregiver. For example, she would say, ‘sometimes I couldn’t get Louie to eat at the end of his Alzheimer’s, but was patient and fed him like a baby.’ She showed him a lot of love and care.”
Raising Awareness Around Caregiving
Ruvo’s wife, and his mother—while she was alive—were committed to raising awareness about caregiving and helping those in need. In 2019, Ruvo and his wife put a $2 million chair together, The Angie Ruvo Endowed Caregiving Chair, named after Angie Ruvo, the original caregiver to the center’s namesake and mother of Larry Ruvo. It is also a tribute to Larry’s wife, Camille Ruvo, and her dedication to bringing attention to this cause. The chair is headed by Lucille Carrier, Ph.D., a clinical health psychologist. In this role, Dr. Carriere conducts evidence-based research to learn more about the effects of caregiving and develop customized interventions that improve the overall health and well-being of dementia caregivers. “Caregiving at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is as important as what we do with the patients,” Ruvo states. “Our procedure here is meeting the patients at the door, and taking them into a suite. There are no patient waiting rooms, and we will take the caregiver into another room, assess how they are doing, and invite them to take our free classes.” The center has had over 74,000 visits to its education, therapeutic and support services since opening, reaching caregivers across the country. All of their programs are free, accessible to the community, and available virtually as well.
Ruvo’s Advice for Caregivers
Ruvo’s top piece of advice? Knowledge is power. “It’s education for the caregiver, who can relay that to the patient. Ultimately, it all comes back to the caregiver and having the knowledge on how to give the best care,” says Ruvo. For example, if a caregiver comes in and says, “my patient doesn’t like to get out of bed,” it’s up to you as the caregiver to open up the drapes, get some light in, get them outside, and get their circadian clock going. “You just can’t ‘know’ they don’t want to get out of bed. Oftentimes, they don’t know how to get out of bed. So caregivers need to know how to make these decisions and do what’s in the patient’s best interest,” Ruvo states. Even if it’s something as simple as watching TV or listening to music, they might not know what they’re watching or hearing, but perhaps there’s something they see or hear that they can relate to or gives them comfort. Next up: Wondering What to Get the Caregiver In Your Life? Start With These 15 Gifts That Are All About Self-Care
