Until you’ve been an Alzheimer’s caregiver, it’s impossible to know how rewarding and challenging it is. People with Alzheimer’s need plenty of assistance throughout the day. Family caregivers also need that support. Professional caregivers are essential components of any Alzheimer’s care plan.
Personal Care and Grooming
Ask anyone about their experiences caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s and you hear about unusual situations. Parents using toothpaste as an eye cream, glass cleaning wipes as makeup removers, and liquid soap as a moisturizer.
When these situations start to happen, supervision is important. Items need to be in locked cupboards to prevent misuse. When a person needs them for grooming or personal care, the caregiver can pull the appropriate items from the cupboard and return them when they’ve been used.
Over time, help with personal care, hygiene, and grooming are necessary. Toileting may be harder to remember to complete, which can lead to UTIs. Taking a shower or bath is often forgotten until body odor becomes an issue. Even then, memories of taking a shower may make that person insistent that that part of the day has been completed.
Meals
People with Alzheimer’s often forget they’ve eaten and eat too much or think they’ve eaten and skip meals. Help with the timing of meals, snacks, and beverages is essential to prevent malnutrition and dehydration.
Respite Care
Some people with Alzheimer’s get confused about where home is. They go outside to go for a walk and nothing looks familiar. If this happens, they keep walking in hopes of finding a familiar home or neighborhood.
Once a parent is wandering, family caregivers have to be vigilant. If a parent gets up in the middle of the night, carers have to get up and make sure the family member stays inside. Alarms on doors and windows help, but people have experienced situations of family members trying to climb fences to escape. It can be tiring when you’re on the fifth night of interrupted sleep.
With respite care, you take a nap, go on a vacation, or have time to unwind while a caregiver takes over. It’s one of the most important services for family caregivers caring for someone with Alzheimer’s.
Don’t wait until the last minute to hire caregivers to help your family. Handle as much of your mom or dad’s care as you can, but make sure you arrange home care to help out. Caregivers give you the break that you’re going to need as the disease progresses. You’ll have a much easier time if you have a trusted caregiver working with you.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in La Canada, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call Us Today (888) 989-7388
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