When elderly individuals have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, adult children and other caregivers are affected, too, because they need to make important decisions about care.
Seniors receiving care at home from a home care agency is the least traumatizing choice, because their familiarity with the environment can lessen anxiety. A home care agency, like Assisting Hands Home Care in Glen Ellyn, IL, can also give family caregivers a break.
Seniors with middle stage dementia shouldn’t be left unattended
At Assisting Hands Home Care, we provide Alzheimer’s and dementia care to help families in Glen Ellyn, IL take care of their loved ones affected by these diseases.
Our home care experts can make recommendations on how to deal with anger and safety issues while also making sure seniors affected by dementia have been eating and taking necessary medications.
If your love one has long term care insurance, we will accept this insurance to help cover the cost of care.
Recognizing the Symptoms
If you can recognize symptoms and an early diagnosis is made, it can be easier to manage the challenges of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, such a disease is known to last 6 to 20 years, starting gradually and progressing slowly.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but a combination of treatments and the correct support services is known to make the affected individual’s and his/her family’s lives easier. Providing care for a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease can be tough, though, because of the new challenges that each day presents.
Per SelfHelp.com, “caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease impacts every aspect of daily life. As Alzheimer’s patients lose one ability after another, caregivers face tests of stamina, problem-solving, and resiliency. During this long and difficult journey, communication diminishes, rewards decrease, and without strong support, caretakers face challenges to their own well-being.”
With help from Assisting Hands Home Care, family caregivers can reduce their anxiety and stress levels. If a family cannot provide help or needs assistance with such, our caregivers will assist patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Monitoring Common Behavior Patterns
- Wandering: Safety concerns are a core issue for any home care service. Individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease enjoy walking frequently, and caregivers can provide the necessary care to guarantee clients don’t leave their home by themselves. Prevention includes making sure outside-access doors are locked and need a key to be unlocked from inside. We will make sure clients get dressed, and we will be on standby to help prevent falls. Additionally, our caregivers make sure water doesn’t stay running and that the stove gets turned off.
- Companionship: A key component of care for Alzheimer’s disease is socialization. In fact, a lot of families have reported that Alzheimer’s clients’ moods have improved thanks to enhanced communication and calmness. With one-on-one private care, caregivers can offer companionship when family members need to tend to other personal matters. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s patients can become increasingly confused come evening time, because the darkness can be anxiety-inducing. However, we can monitor behavior with all-night care.
- Personal Care: With memory loss, one’s self care can be neglected. As such, Alzheimer’s patients might skip meals, forget to bathe, and neglect other personal hygiene tasks. Our caregivers have been trained to help clients with regular personal care and meal preparation. Individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease are also commonly known to have a phobia of water. Such a fear can make a task like bathing difficult. However, our caregivers keep track of bathing and have been trained to make bathing regularly a part of clients’ routine.
- Medication Reminders: Oftentimes, seniors forget to take their medications or take the incorrect medication at an incorrect time, and this is particularly dangerous for Alzheimer’s patients. Data has shown that medication non-adherence accounts for 33 to 69 percent of hospital admissions concerning medication. Additionally, 23 percent of admissions to nursing homes are because of medication non-adherence. Every year in the United States, an estimated 3 billion prescriptions are issued, but 12 percent of them do not get picked up while 40 percent are incorrectly taken. With Assisting Hands Home Care’s service, we will guarantee that patients take the proper medication at the correct time. We also track medications and will get refills from the pharmacy.
It is natural for adult children to want to take care of family members who have been affected by Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. However, providing such care without breaks can hinder one’s wellbeing and can result in a testy relationship with those you are trying to assist. This is why we provide Alzheimer’s and dementia care in Glen Ellyn, IL, at Assisting Hands Home Care. We have home care aides who are trained to help Alzheimer’s patients and family caregivers.
