Alzheimer’s is a complex disease of the brain that impacts the daily lives of seniors as well as their family members, friends, and caregivers. However, with knowledge, commitment, and a care plan, seniors and their families may handle the disease and make daily life more enjoyable and maintainable.
It’s best to know as much about Alzheimer’s as possible, including its effects on aging adults and the steps you may take as a caregiver to slow its progression without compromising your senior loved one’s health, safety, or quality of life.
Difficulty Remembering
Memory problems are one of the most common effects of Alzheimer’s among older adults. They have difficulty remembering familiar places, people, things, and daily activities that keep them in good mental and physical health. As the disease progresses, the memory loss could worsen, and your loved one may not remember you or his or her other children, grandchildren, and close friends. Feeling upset and sad that your parent doesn’t remember you are acceptable emotions. However, you must avoid letting your parent see you upset. Failing to do so could cause negative emotions and make the atmosphere stressful.
Seniors living with Alzheimer’s or other health issues may require assistance with daily activities. If your elderly loved one is living with a serious medical condition and needs help managing the tasks of daily living, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a home care service agency you may trust. Our caregivers are available 24/7, there are no hidden fees in our contracts, and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our in-home care services.
Extended Time Frames for Daily Activities
Cooking, cleaning, and even moving from room to room may be challenging as Alzheimer’s progresses. As the brain cells die and fail to regenerate, your parent will need to take more time with daily activities and communicating. Let your loved one take the extended time instead of completing the tasks or sentences for him or her.
One of the best ways to slow the disease’s progression is boosting brain activity, so promoting independence is crucial. Regardless of the time it takes your loved one to finish an action, you should acknowledge the accomplishment and offer praise, which may boost his or her mood and confidence.
There are many reasons seniors might need assistance at home. Some may require regular mental stimulation due to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, while others might only need part-time assistance with exercise and basic household tasks. Assisting Hands Home Care is a leading Columbus elderly home care provider. Families rely on our expertly trained caregivers to help their senior loved ones maintain a high quality of life.
Aggression
Due to the damage Alzheimer’s causes to the brain, it’s not uncommon for seniors to display strange and unruly behavior, including compulsiveness and aggression. Your loved one may lash out at you and others verbally and physically. If your loved one exhibits these types of behaviors, you need to learn what has caused them and develop a plan to prevent them in the future. In some instances, medication your loved one is taking could be the reason. Your loved one’s doctor may need to change the dosage amounts or discontinue the prescriptions altogether.
Loss of Awareness
As the disease progresses, your loved one may have difficulty making rational decisions and engage in risky behavior, such as wandering or handling sharp objects. Therefore, your family will need to change the home to accommodate your loved one’s forgetfulness, unclear thinking, and other cognitive issues.
Some of the steps you may take include removing sharp objects, assisting with daily activities such as dressing and bathing, monitoring the windows and doors in the home to ensure they’re safely shut and locked, and adding guard rails and nonslip mats.
Planning for outbursts is also necessary because seniors may have difficulty speaking, causing them to react negatively when family caregivers don’t understand them. In these instances, develop various communication strategies to make daily life less stressful for your parent.
Alzheimer’s may be challenging for seniors to manage without assistance, and it may be just as challenging for families who don’t have experience in providing senior home care. Columbus Assisting Hands Home Care provides Columbus Alzheimer’s care seniors and their families may depend on. Our caregivers help seniors with Alzheimer’s and other memory-related conditions live happier and healthier lives. If your loved one needs help with the challenges of aging, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at 614-678-5887.