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Tag: personal care

How to Take Care of an Alzheimer’s Patient – The Ultimate Guide

Caring for an elderly person with Alzheimer’s disease at home is a challenging task that takes a lot of patience. If the patient is a member of your family, you may notice that sometimes their emotions can flip like a switch and range from anger to confusion. Not to mention, there are many troubles, pains, and arduous tasks that require constant care and supervision for an individual suffering from memory loss.

In the following guide, we will talk about some tips and advice on how to take care of an Alzheimer’s patient and reduce frustrations.

Before starting, you should remember that you are caring for the elderly with a child’s behavior. It is definitely a huge emotional and physical challenge. So, be careful not to pass judgment on them and sympathize with their situation.

The Difference between Dementia and Alzheimer’s

To begin with, if one of your family members has Alzheimer’s disease, the whole family should know some basic information about the disease and its symptoms. You also should know how to cope with the disease to preserve the patient’s life from exposure to any harm, and to avoid the deterioration of their health. However, apart from the difficult technical definition of dementia and Alzheimer’s, we’ve simplified the difference between them. Alzheimer’s is a specific disease that affects the brain, while dementia is the decline in cognitive ability that includes memory loss and thinking difficulties.

Hire Professional Caregivers to Take Care of Them

Families who experience high levels of stress during the moderate and severe stages of the disease may deal with it with anticipatory grief associated with feeling the impending loss of their loved one. For this, you have to ask for the help of experienced caregivers to take care of your loved one. In addition, it should be noted that your role in managing daily tasks will increase as the disease progresses. Therefore, we recommend you consider the following practical tips that can help you manage tasks effectively.

Reduce Frustration

A person with memory loss may become nervous when tasks become more difficult than before. To reduce challenges and relieve frustration:

  • Give yourself time to rest: You will not be able to do all the patient care tasks on a continuous basis; take time to rest between daily tasks.
  • Involve the patient: Allow the person with Alzheimer’s to do tasks on their own, such as dressing independently, or making the bed or the table.
  • Give simple instructions: It’s best for people with Alzheimer’s to understand clear communication in one step. Avoid complex commands that require multiple steps or involve more than one task.
  • If the person with Alzheimer’s smokes, make sure the smoke and fire sensors are working properly and that the fire extinguisher is easily accessible.

Related: Alzheimer’s Care: Engaging Activities for both Patient and Caregiver

Conclusion

People with Alzheimer’s will require more care and supervision as their disease progresses. Caregivers can protect their physical health since they are highly trained and know how to cope with them. If you’re looking for the most professional and friendly caregivers in Wilmington, NC, Home Instead Senior Care is the best choice.  We have decades of experience taking care of people with Alzheimer’s. For more information about our home care services, call (910) 342-0455 today.

Organizing 101 for Seniors

Organizing your home or living space has many benefits. It cleans up your house and everything is easier to find and manage. On another positive note, a neat and organized home looks less cluttered and less overwhelming. It’s much safer to live in a clean space. We have gathered some practical organizing tips for seniors to make life and living at home easier.

1) List all the items that needs organizing.

Take a walk around the house with a pen and paper in hand. Anything that you believe needs re-arranging or organizing, simply write it down. Take a long thorough look for anything that feels too cluttered or messy. Don’t jump on it right away, take your time and list everything down. For example, if you have unorganized shoes at the door, make a note to buy a simple shoe rack later. You can also ask a friend or loved one to do this inspection with you.

2) Make an action plan.

As said in the previous step, don’t jump up to do everything at once. You could end up overwhelmed and even messier than the moment you began. So, start off small. Even if you tackle one drawer in a day, it is more than enough. Eventually, you will clear the entire house without over-exerting yourself.

Make a schedule for yourself. Take some time out of the day to do this cleaning. Keep taking breaks in between to catch your breath. Even if you fail to follow it, it is not an issue. You can just start over the next day.

Related: Home Modifications for Your Senior

3) Keep a list of things that need maintenance.

Is the power socket out? Is the dishwasher not working properly? Light bulb in your bedroom needs to be replaced? Keep a list of these types of things that you could work on, so they do not become a nuisance later. Daily checklists such as these can benefit the elderly significantly. It helps you from forgetting the important stuff and you will always be on the top of everything with it. When practiced long term, this habit can do wonders for you.

Related: Decluttering your Senior Loved One’s Home

Bonus Tips for Practical Organizing:

  • Label all the storage boxes and spaces clearly so you always know where your stuff is.
  • Keep your staircase and door entry clear and clutter free.
  • Buy multiple baskets to easily carry items and for storage.
  • Get rid of the dark hallways and passages by adding a source of light in there.
  • Keep your important documents all in one safe place that is easily accessible for you.   

Conclusion

We understand that staying organized for an elderly can be quite difficult at times. With passing age, every day tasks become hectic to deal with. Everybody needs someone trustworthy and responsible to take care of their loved ones. That is what we are here for. Home Instead Senior Care provides compassionate in-home care services that includes personal care, light housekeeping, meal prepping, grocery shopping, transportation, and much more. Learn more about how we can help by visiting our website.

Decluttering Your Senior Loved One’s Home

A cluttered home can be a dangerous home. Hallways and doorways that are blocked by clutter are hard to navigate, especially for anyone with mobility problems. Dust buildup, old food, and unsanitary areas will pose a multitude of health issues if left ignored. There are so many things that can go wrong and a variety of safety hazards in a messy home. If your senior loved one is having difficulty maintaining housekeeping, it’s a sign that they need assistance at home.

Organize Before Cleaning

Decluttering isn’t just about tossing as many things as possible. Take the time with your senior loved one to sort out items and personal belongings. Some things may hold special memories and it would be devastating to discover that it was accidentally thrown out. It would be helpful to organize things into storage boxes or containers with easy to read labels. Make sure that your loved one is involved in the organization process so they can remember where everything is. After you have successfully separated important and essential items from the clutter, it’s time to start cleaning.

Set a Schedule

Unless the home is cluttered from top to bottom, try not to elongate the cleaning process. It’s best to set a schedule and tackle everything in a day or over the weekend without distractions. That way everyone involved can stay committed and focused on the task ahead. A helpful tip is to make a list of what to do, such as:

  • Organize important mail and bills.
  • Check your loved one’s prescriptions and properly dispose of anything expired or anything that’s no longer prescribed.
  • Clean out the refrigerator and give the entire kitchen a good wipe down.
  • Dispose of any expired food and restock with fresh goods. During this, keep an eye out for rat droppings or any signs of an infestation.
  • Ensure that all walkways, entry ways, and exits are clear of clutter and easy to navigate.
  • Sort through old clothing and do the laundry.
  • Clean and sanitize the bathroom.
  • Sweep and mop the floors.
  • Mow the yard or hire a gardener to take care of the front and back of the house.

Encourage Involvement

No one likes others going through their things without permission. As you declutter the home, always try to keep your loved one involved in the process. They may not have the energy or physical capability to actually help in cleaning, but it’s still thoughtful to ask their opinion on things. Such as asking where certain items should go or how they would like things arranged. Remember that this is their personal living space and livelihood.

Rely on a Professional Home Helper

We understand that life can get very hectic with things coming up out of up nowhere. If you have trouble maintaining housekeeping for your loved one, we can help. Home Instead Senior Care provides compassionate in-home care services that includes personal care, light housekeeping, meal prepping, grocery shopping, transportation, and much more. Learn more about how we can help by visiting our website.