Things to Consider

You won\’t find it an easy job to take care for an Alzheimer\’s patient. This task can overburden you at times. The changing behavior and the decreasing ability to perform all kinds of tasks not to mention the effects of memory loss are a great challenge to the caregiver. This is an extra heavy addition to normal care of the elderly.

What we need to keep in mind is to take good care for our selves as caregivers as well. If we neglect ourselves, the quality of our lives also deteriorates.

Organization of Home Care

It takes a lot of courage to take care for an Alzheimer\’s patient. It really is a challenge to your power of patience and flexibility.

Being well prepared helps you to deal with it. This article will give you appropriate suggestions for all kind of subjects from creating a safe environment to limiting choices and reducing over-exertion.

As time progresses there will be an increasing need for changes in the environment to adapt to a changing need for security. People with Alzheimer\’s Disease are slowly loosing their control over fine motor skills. At a certain moment it possibly will not be safe for them to handle a sharp knife or certain tools out of their tool box they earlier were a common handiness to them.

So you must be keen on all these kind of subjects and gradually make changes to the home environment.

The communication with your beloved-on will also change as the disease progresses. They won\’t remember thing you just said an instance ago. It makes no sense to become impatient or angry. It\’s just a fact that must be accepted and you must learn to deal with.

Sometimes it helps you to think like a computer. That can repeat and repeat over and over again and does not change in the way the information is presented when you do something wrong….

Tips to Reduce Frustrations

Imagine how you would feel, when once-automatic tasks become difficult or impossible. Sometimes in normal life and being healthy we get frustrated when something we want to accomplish over and over fails. So we can expect a person who has Alzheimer\’s to react with the same frustration, agitation and even aggression when they don\’t succeed in all kinds of things, especially if the remember being handy with it in the past.

In your task as a caregiver you can help them to limit challenges and ease frustration:

-> Take more time for all kinds of activities than you used to. By being prepared to that you will be more patient with your beloved-one and cope with the situation. Not only for one day but for all time coming after this day!

-> Help them in making choices. They will have a problem with that. You can help by limiting the options (making a pre-selection).

-> Step by step ask them to help you with activities in stead of asking them in one long sentence to fulfill a complex task.

-> They are much faster distracted by stimuli from their environment such as the TV or radio. So turn those off when you are engaged in other activities.

-> Because they are not able to focus on too many things simultaneously, make sure you invite a limited number of visitors.

-> It is very important, if not only for your own well-being, to maintain social contacts and relaxation.

Hard Decision

If care giving for your loved one with Alzheimer\’s becomes unmanageable at home, consider placement in a facility with specialized care for your beloved-one.

Take Care For Yourself

Many caregivers ignore their own care needs, both mentally and physically. You also have to deal with the diagnosis of your beloved-one, the changes in your relation from partners to caregiver and care receiver and the great responsibility you have from now on.

Find the support you need through contact groups, continue to take some time for your own hobbies, find someone to assist you or may be to take over the care for a couple of hours a week, so you can relax and go shopping, to the pool, get a massage or anything else you long for.

Author Bio: Dick Harkes was confronted with Alzheimer’s Disease when his father was diagnosed with this awful ailment. Then he started collecting information about Alzheimer’s.
He likes to share this information with everybody.
Please visit Alzheimer Care.

Or start at his homepage: All About Alzheimer’s Disease.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: alzheimers care, care of the elderly, take care,courage to take care,take good care,care giving