What To Do If You Are Seeing Changes and Aren’t Quite Sure
There is a lot of information about how to care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, but what do you do if you are worried about changes in your loved one and you are concerned about what’s going on.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease. Over As many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
Whether your loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, another dementing disorder or a treatable condition that has similar symptoms, there are steps you can take to help you with your concerns:
1) Make an appointment for your and your loved one to visit a doctor with the expertise to conduct a thorough examination that rules out treatable conditions.
2) If the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s or a related disease, make sure that everyone who will be involved in care taking is as informed about the condition and recommendations for managing his or her care.
3) Get to know the special skills and availability of care team members. Besides friends, family, church volunteers and other informal help, you may wish to make use of trained help from a health or homemaker/companion service. Some families have found valuable help from a knowledgeable care manager who is well equiped to help a family through the many financial, legal, and other decisions surrounding the care situation.
4) Equip all caregivers and the care recipient (if appropriate) with the resources, strategies, and plans to maintain a safe and positive relationship.
There are numerous resources available to family caregivers–books, audio-visual materialsl, online resources, support groups. Many caregivers have found support groups to be the most beneficial resource. Keep in mind that while some support groups provide for a special program for the care recipient, some do not, and finding someone to stay with your loved one while you attend a support group may be an important part of your plan.
The national website for the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) has a wealth of resources and can also direct you to your local chapter for more specific resources in your area.
In Minnesota, Seniors’ Choice at Home can help ease the responsibility of care by helping with homemaking tasks (cleaning, cooking, baking, laundry,) transportation to medical appointments and for other errands, and staying with the client so the caregiver can have some time for lunch with friends, go to support groups, go for a walk or just rest for while. For more information about Seniors’ Choice at Home, call us at 763-546-1599, or check out our website: www.seniorschoicemn.com
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