Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. According to CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), the number of people living with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. This number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060. It is a degenerative brain disease that progressively worsens over time and interferes with someone’s daily life and activities.
In the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, a person can function independently, but as dementia progresses, a person with Alzheimer’s will require help with daily routines, such as eating, dressing, and grooming, while the late stage will require intensive and full 24-hour care.
Here are the 5 early signs of Alzheimer’s:
MEMORY LOSS
A person with dementia may forget things more often or not remember dates, recent events, and keeps asking the same questions.
DIFFICULTY COMPLETING TASKS
Such as steps to prepare a meal or organizing a grocery list.
DISORIENTATION
Trouble remembering familiar places, can get lost on their own street. Trouble remembering how they got there or how to get home.
SUDDEN CHANGES IN MOOD AND BEHAVIOR
Can show varied mood swings. From being calm, to being angry, or being aggressive for no apparent reason.
DIFFICULTY FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS
Difficulty communicating thoughts. Can have a hard time finding the right words or explaining themselves, or even stops in the middle of saying something and may not know how to continue.
How Having A Home Care Plan Can Help You
Dementia varies from person to person and it can be exhausting for family caregivers to care for them alone. It is important to know that there are in-home care services, such as Respite Care, which can help family caregivers avoid caregiver burnout.
Personal Care Assistance – When keeping good hygiene started to become challenging for someone with dementia, professional caregivers can help with bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting.
Meal Preparation, Diet Monitoring, and Feeding – It is common for someone with dementia to lose interest in food. Knowing the person and understanding their individual needs, routines, likes, and dislikes are important. A professional caregiver can help monitor a proper diet, meal preparation, and feeding.
Assistance with self-administered Medications – medication reminder is needed if the person with dementia has started forgetting to take his/her medication(s).
Hourly and 24-hour Care Services – This will depend on the family members and sick individual to decide how many hours they need the service, and the care plan and rates will be discussed during the assessment.
Basic Exercise and Recreation Activities – Someone with Alzheimer’s disease need to be physically active and do things they enjoy. He/she might have trouble deciding what to do each day and need help organizing daily activities.
Transportation Assistance – A professional caregiver can help arrange for comfortable transportation and accompany the sick individual to ensure that they will arrive safely at their destination. Transportation assistance can also help you with the following: grocery shopping, mailing, running errands, doctor’s appointments, and more.
Light Housekeeping – Washing the laundry and dishes, doing linen care, cleaning the house, removing tripping hazards, and more.
Taking care of a loved one with dementia is not easy and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. Talk to a care director for a Free Assessment.
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