Care for Early Stages of Alzheimer's

Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's, a form of dementia, there is assistance through medication and techniques to retard the progress. Nearly 20 million families in America have at least one member in their family, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. The disease has seven stages, and the type of medical and health care varies from person to person depending upon the stage of the disease. It becomes the responsibility of the family members to understand the nature of the disease and provide adequate care when required. It is also important to recognize the symptoms of the Alzhiemer's disease in the early stage, itself, but this is not an easy task. This is because the first two stages of Alzheimer’s disease are difficult to recognize even by family members or close friends. As the disease progresses, the symptoms are easily identifiable. The person starts forgetting the names of familiar people or locations, and may also find it difficult to recall the right words while conversing with others. Unfortunately, many people associate these symptoms with the signs of old age, and the disease spreads faster. As the disease progresses, there is a sharp decline in memory, and memory lapses become more serious as they start affecting the patient’s daily life and work. Initially, a person finds it difficult to remember various things and often becomes extremely dependent on using various memory aids such as lists or reminder notes. The problem usually gets worse with a person consciously tries to hide the problem. In a large number of cases, the Alzheimer’s symptoms become evident to family and friends only at the third stage. It is really difficult to provide adequate care to a person with Alzheimer’s disease at home without a strong support for the caregiver and family. The task may become challenging at times as the caregiver is required to deal with changing patterns in the individual’s behavior. Many studies done in this field indicate that caregivers themselves face the risk of depression or illness if they don’t get the desired support from family or friends of the affected individual. Periods of rest and time for the caregiver to take care of their own needs are mandatory. A supportive caregiver needs to be attentive all the time. Most of the basic activities of daily life, such as dressing, eating or bathing, can become difficult to manage for the individual with Alzheimer’s. Therefore, it is important for the caregiver to devise a plan for the day and use elderly assistance strategies to deal with difficult situations. With some amount of practice, the caregiver can make a list of the homecare strategies that work in their loved ones case, and discard those that don’t. Each person with Alzheimer’s behaves differently and, thus, also responds differently to various people and situations at different stages of Alzheimer’s disease. For this reason the caregiver must continually devise new plans and strategies. A caregiver must always realize the importance of creating and maintaining a safe environment for people with Alzheimer’s disease. If the person is in the habit of wandering, the caregiver must install secure locks all over the house, and keep dangerous medications under lock. It is also important to keep the person with Alzheimer engaged. The caregiver should choose some simple daily exercises or activities that the person enjoys. Routine can be very helpful. While communicating with a person with Alzheimer’s disease, try to use simple words or short sentences. Be calm and gentle in your approaching especially when giving directions. There are many organizations and groups such as support groups that offer useful tips and information for caregivers. The caregiver can find care for their loved one in assisted living facilities to the elderly, homecare assistance, and specialized residential facilities. Find the perfect agency that matches your specific needs and criteria with our new service matching tool.