Alzheimer’s and Dementia affect an individual’s behavior, mood, and, more significantly, memory. While there’s no cure for it, caregiving is all they need to maintain a quality lifestyle.
However, family caregivers can easily become disheartened and overwhelmed seeing their loved one losing physical and cognitive abilities.
Your role and liabilities in daily caregiving for Alzheimer’s or Dementia individuals will increase as the disease progresses. So if you are wondering how to care for your aging parents with Alzheimer’s, consider the below tips to manage the caring tasks efficiently.
Tips for Daily Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care
Alzheimer’s or related Dementia symptoms typically vary from one individual to another. However, you will commonly find these persons easily becoming agitated when they fail to cope with once-simple tasks.
As a family caregiver, your role will be to apprehend their diagnosis, keep them as active and healthy as possible, and plan for the future.
1. Treat their Conflicting Emotions
Persons with Alzheimer’s or related Dementia are likely to flare up feelings of anger, grief, frustration, fear, and denial, especially during the early stages.
While dealing with these emotional outbreaks, caregivers can experience bitterness, sadness, and stress at some time or the other.
In such a situation, remember that caregiving is a gift for these helpless individuals. Your care will improve the quality of their daily living.
Let your Alzheimer’s or Dementia parents or loved one express their feelings. Inspire them to stalk things that add purpose or meaning to their life.
2. Set up a Care Plan
Alzheimer’s or Dementia is a progressive disease, and its symptoms typically worsen with advanced stages. Thus, the caregiving journey involves making significant health decisions for loved ones. And this calls for a proper care plan.
You can set up a daily routine that states the time or schedule of tasks like bathing, medication, or exercise. Make sure to follow the same time daily so that Alzheimer’s individuals get accustomed to it. However, you can add some flexibility for voluntary activities, especially during difficult days.
3. Keep them Engaged
It’s important to keep Alzheimer’s and Dementia individuals engaged and active as required. You can plan activities that allow these persons to participate as much as possible without your assistance. For example, you can place some visual clues and ask them to set up the table.
Or, lay out their clothes, and they will dress independently in proper order. The best way is to give them a limited choice.
For example, give them two beverage choices to choose from – hot or cold or two outfits to choose one.
4. Avoid Long Naps and Distractions
Avoid extended or multiple naps during the day to reduce the risk of reversing days and nights. Moreover, during conversations and mealtime, avoid any distractions.
For example, turn off the television or keep phones away during conversations and mealtime.
This will allow people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia to focus on a particular task.
5. Stay Flexible
Alzheimer’s or Dementia individuals will gradually become completely dependent on their caregivers. So try to be flexible to minimize frustration, modifying your routine as required.
For example, if they resist bathing, do it less often. Or, purchase a few of the same clothes if they prefer to wear a similar outfit every day.
6. Promote a Safe Environment
People with this progressive disease lose their problem-solving and judgment abilities.
Eventually, the risk of getting injured increases. Thus, it’s essential to ensure a safe environment in the house.
Make sure there are no scattered rugs, clutters, or extension cords that can result in falling. Instead, you can install grab bars or handrails in key areas.
On the other hand, you can lock the cabinets containing potentially dangerous things like sharp utensils, tools, or medicines.
Store lighters and matches in safe places so individuals can’t reach them. You should have access to a fire extinguisher. And make sure to have fresh batteries in carbon-monoxide and smoke detectors.
Moreover, the thermostat on the water heater should be lowered to avoid the risk of burning.
7. Involve Multiple Activities to Prompt Different Senses
Multiple activities stimulate senses like smell, sight, touch, hearing, and movement. So you can set up a routine that includes storytelling, singing, walking, and dancing. Also, go for tangible activities like gardening, playing, or painting.
Visiting a park, going for a morning walk, or driving can also be therapeutic. It can be relaxing to sit outside.
However, plan or attend social events or visitors only if you are confident about handling them. Sometimes extreme stimulation or activity can be hard to handle.
Conclusion
Each Alzheimer’s person will experience different progression and symptoms, and complications increases as the disease progress.
Hopefully, by tailoring the practical tips mentioned above coupled with patience and support, you can effectively deal with frustrations and challenges ahead.
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