Living with Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death among Americans. There is no cure.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain that impacts memory, thinking, judgment, behavior, and daily functioning. As the disease progresses, individuals experience changes in personality and behavior.
Living with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia is extraordinarily difficult for the individual and those closest to them. Helping a loved one living with Alzheimer’s maintain a good quality of life and live in relative contentment are concerns that cause great distress for millions of caregivers across the country.
Some form of recreation will brighten the day of someone with Alzheimer’s. You must seek and find ways to help them relax and have some fun.
In caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, you may have to pop in at all hours of the day to check on them. Have a chat and help them make sense of what they are trying to say in the moment. It is a way to get them to work their ailing brain.
Activities like playing music, playing video of family members, walking and other light exercise, and pet therapy have been found to help Alzheimer’s patients maintain connectedness with the people around them.
It’s difficult and sometime impossible to predict a patient’s exact feelings and reactions. They may be calm one minute and violent the next. Educate yourself to deal with such instances simply because they will likely be sudden and sometimes extreme. And be ready for the critical stage of the illness where it is time to bring in a reliable and experienced professional in-home care provider.
