Taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s disease requires long-term care and is alsovery challenging. Any dementia requires good surveillance of the patient and endless effort to keep things into place. On many days you may feel the recurrence of weeks and days before. The disease is progressive and may result in new kinds of behavioral issues at different stages of the disease. It is frustrating for both the patient as well as the caregiver. The role of the caregiver is of paramount importance in dealing with the patient. The patient becomes increasingly dependent upon the caregiver for every act. They may feel difficulty in doing daily chores.
The increasing dependence of the patient on the caregiver makes the task of the caregiver even more challenging. It becomes imperative for the latter to get hold of valuable and helpful tips for coping with everyday challenges. Various studies worldwide have revealed the importance of certain aspects of treatment that the caregiver should keep in mind. These critical areas play an essential role in helping the person recovers smoothly. Therefore many people send their loved ones who have dementia to memory care homes to get proper medical and therapeutic attention.
Some reasons why you must opt for memory care?
The importance of communication: one of the biggest challenges for dealing with dementia is communicating with these patients. The process of explaining your thoughts to the opposite person and understanding what they want to share becomes tough. In such a scenario, the use of simple words and short sentences may be helpful. Also, one of the voices should be gentle and approachable. According to memory care in Wilmington, DE, as a caregiver, it is your responsibility to minimize the distraction and noise of the surrounding. It can help the patient to become calm. Try to approach them in a usual manner and give them the proper attention that they want. In memory care, the caregivers try to help the patients find the right word, helping them express themselves effectively. They also avoid any interruption while the patient talks.
Delusional behavior and hallucination: With the disease’s progress, there comes the problem of hallucination and delusional behavior. For this, you will first have to understand what a hallucination is? It is a condition where a person smells, seas, fields, tests, and even yearns for things that are not there in reality. On the other hand, delusion is false beliefs that are difficult to be taken out of the patient. When the patient cannot differentiate between the reality and the happenings on the television turn the TV off. Try to distract them by bringing in new topics for discussion. Experts in memory care also divert them by changing the location and taking them to different rooms. Never try to get into any kind of an argument regarding what they see or hear. On the contrary, try to make them feel comfortable and responsible for their feelings and expressions.
Mood changes: another challenge associated with Alzheimer’s disease is a sudden change of mood. Completely different behavior is challenging to handle for the caregiver. An expert in memory care has the necessary training to understand why a gentle person may suddenly become violent owing to the disease. As a caregiver, it is your responsibility to find out the cause of the change of behavior. Try to be calm and composed during the aggression and outburst of the patient. Though it is difficult, it can help you to deal with the situation smoothly.
Going for a walk: patients who have Alzheimer’s disease may wander to distant places. It can be a challenge to provide them with safety and security. Experts in memory care keep the patients under surveillance to protect them from being lost. You can make use of medical necklaces that are available to keep track of their location. Also, there are various kinds of Alzheimer’s associations in society that can help you to locate the individual if they get lost. The memory care facilities in Philadelphia are an example of superior facilities for patients having memory disorder. Also, please keep track of recent video and photo of the person to help you find them if they are lost. At an initial stage, try to keep the doors locked to restrict their movement.
Incontinence: with the progress of the disease, the risk of incontinence also rises. You may require the help of a doctor to deal with incontinence problems. You may have to take the patient to the bathroom personally. Also, keep an eye on the signs that might tell you that they want to go to the loo. Try to be as calm and composed as possible when the patient is upset and comes to you for relief.
As a caregiver, you may have to do many tasks that can become frustrating and equally challenging. It requires a good deal of patience and endless effort to deal with patients suffering from the disease. Try to build a relationship relation with them so that they can find confidence in you. You also take help from experts in memory care facilities to understand the demanding job of helping a patient with dementia.
