Are you caring for your elderly loved one now? If so, do they have a dementia diagnosis? When you first heard they had this diagnosis, it was probably tough. You may have had a range of emotions from denial to acceptance to anger to concern. These feelings are all normal. However, now that you are looking more into what to do for your elderly loved one, there are some changes that you can make when caring for your elderly loved one. These changes can help in so many ways.
Avoiding Falls
One of the issues for many people who have dementia is that they fall more often than those who don’t have dementia. This might be caused by medications, visual impairments, balance issues, cognitive impairments, and other issues. These falls can lead to serious injuries. With this being said, there are some ways that you can help to reduce falls for your elderly loved one. You can remove clutter, keep cords out of the way, keep floors dry, and install ramps outside of their home.
Pay Attention to Lighting
If your elderly loved one has dementia, you should also pay attention to the lighting in their home. Dementia can lead to visual damage and other visual issues. With this being the case, your elderly loved one may have a tough time seeing, especially if the lighting in their home isn’t very good. You can do many things to help with this. You can put nightlights in their room and in the halls. You can add better lighting in their bathroom and kitchen. The home care providers can let you know if they believe lights need to be changed in your elderly loved one’s home.
Other Changes
Your elderly loved one might need other changes made to their home to keep them safe, as well. For instance, many people with dementia will wander. If this is the case for your elderly loved one, they might need alarms or other safety devices on their doors. This way, you or the home care providers know if they are trying to leave. Your elderly loved one might also need help taking a bath or cooking. As the dementia progresses, the home care providers can let you know if they think more changes need to be made.
Conclusion
These are some changes that you might want to make when caring for your elderly loved one if they have dementia. With these changes, you can provide the best care when it comes to your elderly loved one.
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers/caregiving
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring home care in San Jose, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers today (408) 317-4969.