People with Alzheimer’s disease deal with massive changes to their memory, cognitive function, and behavior. These changes occur with variable timing for each person. Alzheimer’s is a progressive illness that gets worse over time, but it’s difficult to predict. At some stage, family caregivers need to make a decision about when it’s time to consider Alzheimer’s care for additional support. These guidelines can help.
Recognizing Early Alzheimer’s Signs
If seniors are still in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, home care can still offer a lot of support. Many people with Alzheimer’s find that it begins with subtle changes that can feel just like normal aging. Alzheimer’s disease brings with it memory loss that significantly affects daily life, like forgetting important dates or information seniors recently learned. Seniors may also have more trouble with time or place and having trouble completing familiar tasks. Some forgetfulness is normal with growing older, but Alzheimer’s disease is a different issue.
Safety Concerns
When family caregivers are worried about seniors being as safe as possible at home, that might mean it’s time for Alzheimer’s care. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, seniors may start to experience issues like wandering or forgetting to do something that affects safety, like leaving the stove on. If seniors are exhibiting some of these signs, home care can help.
Increasing Care Needs
As Alzheimer’s disease worsens, seniors experience more trouble with daily activities that weren’t a problem in the past. That can include activities like eating meals, taking a shower, or changing clothes. Some of these increased care needs may be too much for family caregivers to handle alone. Alzheimer’s care providers have experience assisting aging adults with these tasks while still supporting their independence.
How Alzheimer’s Care Helps
Alzheimer’s care providers offer individualized support that helps meet the Alzheimer’s patient’s needs directly. They do this by creating specific plans that drill down into exactly what each senior needs most. Professional caregivers can help to establish routines for seniors that are comforting and that offer the care that they need.
Respite and Specialized Assistance
Another aspect for family caregivers to consider is that they may need respite time more often than they did in the past. Because Alzheimer’s is progressive in nature, the demands on family caregivers also gradually increase. Alzheimer’s care providers can offer specialized assistance that allows them to handle memory issues, communication trouble, and the behavioral changes that seniors with Alzheimer’s disease can experience. This type of illness is so difficult for families to navigate, too, and Alzheimer’s care providers have access to resources and support that can help with those challenges.
The answer to when seniors with Alzheimer’s disease need more support isn’t cut and dry. It depends greatly on what issues seniors are experiencing and how the condition is impacting family caregivers. Alzheimer’s care providers can be there to help from the very beginning, right after diagnosis. No matter when families are ready to reach out for that extra help, Alzheimer’s care providers have the experience with these issues to offer that support.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s care in Plymouth, MN and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
