Eps 1638: Dementia, Advice on how to care for a loved one with Dementia.
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Heather Johnston
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Caregivers and family members who have questions, or want to closely monitor the dementia care plan, may also benefit in a number of ways. There are support groups available to provide information and resources to individuals who are suffering from Alzheimers and their caregivers. Online groups can also be an excellent source of support, particularly if you are not able to get outside, or need someone to talk to when nobody else is around.
Be sure to set aside a few minutes each day and get involved with a local or online support group for caregivers. Meeting other caregivers will give you the opportunity to share stories and ideas, and it may help keep you from feeling isolated. Connecting at Later Stages No matter which caregiving options you decide on at the end of your life, you may find some fulfillment in your caregiving role by setting aside time every day to truly connect with the person you love.
Taking good care of your health and making time for yourself can help you feel better about yourself and cope better in your caring role. No matter what type of carer you are, taking care of another can sometimes feel overwhelming.
While the journey of being a caretaker can be a rewarding one, it is also not secret that it can also be overwhelming. Despite all of these challenges, it can be tremendously rewarding to care and love someone who has dementia, and although it might not be apparent, your loved one is still out there, right there, in the back of Alzheimers.
As the disease progresses through its various stages, the needs of your loved one will grow, your caregiving and financial responsibility will be harder, and fatigue, stress, and isolation may become overwhelming. Caring for someone with Alzheimers is challenging work, one that can put tremendous strain on the caregiver. Since Alzheimers or dementia does not have a cure at this time, often it is your caregiving and support that makes the biggest difference in the quality of your loved ones life.
As your loved ones memory fades, or as the effects of dementia or Alzheimers disease become too much for family or caregiving to bear, you will need to make a decision about placing them into a memory, dementia, or Alzheimers care facility. As your loved ones symptoms of Alzheimers disease or dementia advance, she will require more and more care--and you will need more and more support as their caretaker. Learning about your loved ones illness will help you know what to expect and what to do when dementia sets in.
Learning as much as possible about dementia progress helps you to empathize and understand the person living with dementia. The following considerations from the Alzheimers Association may help caregivers connect with loved ones at various stages of dementia - from early-stage individuals through those who are at the late stages. Caregivers and loved ones should adjust expectations of what they will gain from interactions with a person with dementia as the disease progresses.
Learn more about making your home dementia-friendly As dementia impacts a persons communication, you may find that you need to adjust how you talk and listen to the person you are caring for. By making some simple changes, you can help alleviate stress in the loved one, improve your loved ones wellbeing, as well as your own experience of caring. Making healthy lifestyle changes alongside your loved one also helps to safeguard your health and counteract caregiving stress.
To help smooth the transition for your loved one , we rounded up 50 tips from caregivers, assisted living facility administrators, dementia and Alzheimers experts, and others with expertise working with seniors requiring special care. Please note, the 50 tips from caregivers are in no way listed in order of importance or worth; rather, we have broken them down into categories to help you find the tips that are most helpful for you.
Planning Your Future As dementia advances, making choices about care, finances, and other important decisions may become challenging. Caring for someone with dementia can be a long, challenging road, which takes a toll on caregivers, increasing the risk of depression and other health problems.
For many families, caring for someone with dementia is not a single persons job, but the role of multiple individuals sharing tasks and responsibilities. If you love someone with dementia, you know that caring also brings joy to your life, as well as being immensely fulfilling. It might have taken months, even years, for you to accept that your parent, partner, or anyone you love has dementia.
Tips to keep a home safe for people with dementia As the caretaker or a family member of a person living with Alzheimers disease or related dementia, there are steps you can take to keep the home a safe place. In early stages of dementia, your loved one may need reminders or prompts that can help your loved one remember appointments, remember words or names, keep track of medications, or handle bills and money, for example.
Get an Assessors Assessment If you are caring for someone, you can have an assessment to find out what can help to make their lives easier. If a durable power of attorney has not been named to take over medical and financial decisions, ask whether the person they care about would want you, or someone they unequivocally trust, to assume this role.