Alzheimer's disease is incurable and progresses from mild to severe. Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease can be overwhelming. But if you plan ahead it will be easier on the you and the patient.
Alzheimer's disease is incurable and progresses from mild to severe. As time goes on the patient will need more and more care and get into more and more situations where they
will need physical intervention. Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease can be overwhelming. But if you plan ahead it will be easier on the you and the patient.
Alzheimer's is a disease of the elderly, approximately 4 million elderly have it. People with Alzheimer's progressively lose their memory. The memory is eventually erased and even their recognition of the people closest to them is gone. Objects become confusing, such as toasters, bathtubs, cars and forks. Normal daily activities like dressing and toiletries will require assistance. Getting lost in a hallway or wandering out of the house and never being found again, is common with people with Alzheimer's. They need constant care.
Start as soon as possible to plan for the care of the person who has Alzheimer's. Doing the planning and preparing ahead of time will take care of a lot of problems especially if they will be staying in your home. The person with Alzheimer's may seem to be functioning normally one day and then everything changes, so you need to stay one step ahead of them. Any construction that needs to be done to your home should be done early because the noise and strange workmen could upset the patient in the later stages of the disease. Early on when they understand what is happening is the best time to have work done.
You need to safety proof your home. This will help avoid accidents. If you have stairs with out railing, have them installed early on. Remove anything that could be a danger to the patient such as medicines, kitchen utensils, jewelry. Purchase locking cabinets. Lock away in cupboards anything that can cause injury. Make sure there are locks installed on the inside of doors so they can't leave and wander off. Or, have an alarm system installed that sounds off when a door or window is opened. Put away all your valuable decorative items. Have grab bars installed in the bathroom. Store away furniture that
can be ruined easily or can be tripped over.
Try to think of the patient as a small child and child-proof accordingly. Your loved one may no longer be able to distinguish good from bad and safe from harmful. The curiosity factor is again aroused and this can be a safety hazard.
You can also make the care easier for you if you help the patient be able to function as best as she can. If they are having difficulty remembering where their clothes are, label each of their drawers and closet with pictures of the clothing items. Label the bathroom drawers with pictures of a brush or cosmetic items. Label the kitchen with pictures of utensils and cups etc. This can encourage independence for as long as possible.
Each stage of the disease is different. Their behavior, the degree of difficulty in care; all change as time goes on. Remembering and preparing for each different state of the disease will make it so much easier.
