Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is Dealing with Alzheimer’s

1. Things to Do If an Elder Member of the Family Is Dealing with Alzheimer’s Loss of memory that disturbs routine life can be an indication of Alzheimer's or further form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and further forms of Dementia are advanced and progressive diseases, which causes a slow deterioration of memory, and affects mental cognitive processes such as judgment ability, and thinking and reasoning skills. Approximately 0.6 million people in Canada are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and with the increasing number of elder population, these numbers are continuously increasing. Taking care of an elder family member with Alzheimer’s disease is a tough task. This is where home health care services come in. It can cause caregivers a great amount of stress. If your loved one is suffering from dementia, even than you can bring happiness into your life by remembering a few simple things. Here are the tips, you will find very helpful in interacting with elders who are living with Alzheimer’s or another form of Dementia. Try to make eye contact. Interact with them face to face and mention their name. Always make sure that their attention is focused on you. Deeply note their gestures and body language to realize how they are feeling. Always mention in detail about what you are going to do before you do it. Elders with Alzheimer’s disease often feel more comfortable when they already know what to expect. Considering their deteriorating mental capabilities, always ask only one question at a time. Try not to ask questions in the context of why or how. Elders with Alzheimer’s disease find them hard to process. Instead try asking the question in the context of who, what and where. Try to speak in a soft tone and a calm manner while making use of small sentences. To maintain your pace, try taking a breath between each sentence. Try to use just one idea or instruction in a single sentence. Never ask them to remember. It would be difficult for them and eventually cause frustration if they will be unable to remember past or recent events. Try to remain focus on the positive things and always address them in an adult voice. Remember that baby talk can put them off the edge. You must respect them for who they were and who they still are. Never argue with them and do not attempt to correct them because this can lead to aggressive behaviour. For instance, if they are talking about a grown-up family member as a child you can ask them more about the person and show the picture of that family member’s childhood to prompt conversation. Reading and singing are the abilities, which are usually preserved until later in the Alzheimer’s disease. You may sing songs to them, let them listen to music and read them stories from their childhood.

2. It may seem hard but always try to agree with them. Attempting to bring them back to reality may not work and worsen the condition. Instead, you can use what they are saying to extend conversations which might interest them. Article Source: http://healthycaresecrets.com/things-to-do-if-an-elder-member-of- the-family-is-dealing-with-alzheimers/