Providing love and comfort is the best key in caring a person with Alzheimer’s. Taking care of a person with Alzheimer’s disease will give us new challenges every day. It needs time and patience in dealing with this kind of illness. They quickly forget something and become unproductive on a familiar task and tend to rely on you. Taking care of a person with Alzheimer’s is not an easy job. It can also give us emotional and financial costs.
These are some tips for dealing some challenges in caring for a person with Alzheimer’s. But before that, we will discuss first the primary cause and the definition of Alzheimer’s for us to have a short background about this disease.
Difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s
According to some research, Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It is a general term for memory loss and other mental abilities to interfere with daily life.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders defines dementia as a symptom caused by diseases that affect our brain. Dementia is not a specific illness. People with dementia may not be able to think well. Dementia is commonly known as Alzheimer’s Symptoms. They lose their ability to solve problems and to control their emotions.
Since we already have the idea about Alzheimer’s. These are some tips that will help you in dealing with Alzheimer’s.
Activities
There is no exact solution in dealing people with Alzheimer’s, so the only way to find what is suitable for them is through trial and error. An individual who has Alzheimer’s will respond differently to different activities and strategies. Most of their attitude changes over the development of the disease.
Finding activities for an elderly who has Alzheimer’s is very exciting and a challenging one. They always tend to try on something new. Simple activities are best and well recommended for them, especially when they use their skills and abilities.
You should always assist the person in starting their day with activity. The technique is to always praise them for the accomplishment they make. Any signs of frustration during the activity must be addressed as soon as possible to avoid disappointment to the individual. Be wise in making some activities and choose something that is enjoyable.
Exercise
Here are some things to consider when helping someone with Alzheimer’s.
- Giving a vigorous exercise to their daily routine would help them improve their health, and it can provide a worthwhile activity.
- Choose what suitable activities that they will enjoy like swimming and dancing. Always find the right time and place for the type of activity that would work best for them.
- Ask the help of a doctor if possible to give you an idea what is proper to do.
Communication
Communication is essential in dealing a person who has Alzheimer’s. Without proper communication, you might end up with a headache.
- Calling the person by his or her name will assure you to call his or her attention.
- Help the person in providing the words that they are looking.
- Avoid talking to the person like a baby and minimize some distracting noise such as music and television. It may help them to focus to if there are no distracting noises.
- Always choose simple and short words by using it gently with a calm voice.
Dressing
Deciding what to dress and wear are some of the challenges to an individual who has an Alzheimer’s disease, and they deal with it every time they change their clothes. Trying to avoid this matter will help you minimize the problems that you will encounter every day. Here are some ways to help them get dressed.
- Allow him or her in choosing some of his or her selected outfits. If they have a favorite outfit, buy some shirt that is identical to their favorite.
- Arrange all the clothing in order so that they quickly locate their favorite clothes.
- Always provide clear instructions to the person.
- Choose some clothes that are easy and comfortable to wear.
Takeaway
Taking care of a person with Alzheimer’s is indeed a difficult job. It takes time and patience. To reduce your frustration, consider these helpful tips for your daily routine to reduce some distractions in creating a safe and less stressful environment. These routines should center around the activities, communication, activities, and the common behavior among the clients.
The whole process of taking care of these clients is undeniably tedious, but with a little patience and understanding, a person can understand the intricacies of taking care of their clients who have alzheimer’s disease. Although the disease has no cure, a proper care plan is more than enough to sustain both caregiver and client.
Author bio
Christina Ellis is a content marketer and a freelance writer. She dedicates herself to writing and assisting elderly people. A devoted young writer who reads at night and write by morning, Christina is also fond of assisted living alternatives to make life easier for her clients. Her goals in life are simple, and that is to be happy and stay healthy.