Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and not only does it afflict more than 25 million people around the world, family members such as a spouse or child are often faced with the task of caring for an individual who eventually might not even remember them and also may be aggressive and angry due to the effects of dementia.
Typically the disease progresses in stages, and the early stages can be difficult because while you might encourage your parent or spouse to visit a doctor and see if Alzheimer's is the cause of their issues, the person is obviously quite fearful of hearing the diagnosis and might resist seeing a medical professional. Once the diagnosis has been made, many patients become understandably angry and fearful and might lash out at loved ones.
It isn't easy, but keep in mind that their anger is absolutely not about you, but about fear and confusion. Imagine how you would feel if you lost your memory and were constantly confused and bewildered. Anxiety can be lessened to an extent by reducing the stimulus and stress surrounding the person with the disease. Make life as simple as possible with no responsibilities, and just meals and activities. Skip events where there will be too many people and too much noise, and while visiting with people is very important, limit the visits to just one or two people. Clean up the house and bedroom so that taking care of basic needs is as simple as possible.
When people lose their memory, they ask a lot of questions or become confused about the year or the people in their life that are still alive. Rather than argue with them and insist that "Cousin Sally passed away years ago," simply ask them about the person in question. What are they like? What do you like to do together? It doesn't help to argue. When they ask where they are and what they are doing there, simply respond in a calm way that they are very safe and loved and then change the subject to provide them something cheerful to focus on, such as telling them that you have a cookie and milk for them or that you are going to read to them.
In many cases, dementia has progressed to a point where providing care is extremely difficult and stressful. In addition, many people simply cannot accommodate a parent safely in their home. At this point, you probably need to find a good eldercare facility for your parent or spouse. Many facilities specialize in helping people with memory issues and are trained to deal with all aspects of Alzheimer's. Finding a facility can be tricky, so consider talking to the staff at CarePlacement.com to find out about your options.
Your budget will be a major factor in which type of facility that you choose. Typically assisted living homes and board & care homes are more expensive than nursing homes because these skilled nursing facilities do accept Medi-Cal while the other two options do not. At CarePlacement.com, the team of eldercare specialists will look at all of the facilities in your area that meet your needs and provide you with a list of suitable, pre-screened places to consider.
Typically the disease progresses in stages, and the early stages can be difficult because while you might encourage your parent or spouse to visit a doctor and see if Alzheimer's is the cause of their issues, the person is obviously quite fearful of hearing the diagnosis and might resist seeing a medical professional. Once the diagnosis has been made, many patients become understandably angry and fearful and might lash out at loved ones.
It isn't easy, but keep in mind that their anger is absolutely not about you, but about fear and confusion. Imagine how you would feel if you lost your memory and were constantly confused and bewildered. Anxiety can be lessened to an extent by reducing the stimulus and stress surrounding the person with the disease. Make life as simple as possible with no responsibilities, and just meals and activities. Skip events where there will be too many people and too much noise, and while visiting with people is very important, limit the visits to just one or two people. Clean up the house and bedroom so that taking care of basic needs is as simple as possible.
When people lose their memory, they ask a lot of questions or become confused about the year or the people in their life that are still alive. Rather than argue with them and insist that "Cousin Sally passed away years ago," simply ask them about the person in question. What are they like? What do you like to do together? It doesn't help to argue. When they ask where they are and what they are doing there, simply respond in a calm way that they are very safe and loved and then change the subject to provide them something cheerful to focus on, such as telling them that you have a cookie and milk for them or that you are going to read to them.
In many cases, dementia has progressed to a point where providing care is extremely difficult and stressful. In addition, many people simply cannot accommodate a parent safely in their home. At this point, you probably need to find a good eldercare facility for your parent or spouse. Many facilities specialize in helping people with memory issues and are trained to deal with all aspects of Alzheimer's. Finding a facility can be tricky, so consider talking to the staff at CarePlacement.com to find out about your options.
Your budget will be a major factor in which type of facility that you choose. Typically assisted living homes and board & care homes are more expensive than nursing homes because these skilled nursing facilities do accept Medi-Cal while the other two options do not. At CarePlacement.com, the team of eldercare specialists will look at all of the facilities in your area that meet your needs and provide you with a list of suitable, pre-screened places to consider.
About the Author:
Kristana Jenson enjoys reading home health care blogs. For more details regarding assisted living San Diego facilities or for help finding board and care Solana Beach services, please go to the CarePlacement.com site today.
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