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Author: Home Helpers Home Care

Six Ways Alzheimer’s Care Helps Families Care for Seniors with Dementia

It’s a big job to care for seniors who have dementia, and family caregivers can easily find themselves feeling overwhelmed. Alzheimer’s care services can offer support to these families in so many different ways that can be customized to their needs.

Offer Information to Help Families Understand

Education is so important for family caregivers, especially in terms of understanding more about how to help their seniors cope with dementia. Alzheimer’s care providers have experience not only helping seniors with Alzheimer’s disease but also helping family members learn more about how the disease progresses. Learning more about the stages of Alzheimer’s is especially important.

Model Simplified Language and Instructions

As dementia worsens, it’s more important than ever for family caregivers to learn how to simplify instructions and information when they talk to aging adults with dementia. Home care providers who have experience helping seniors with dementia can model exactly what to do and make it easier to learn the techniques that work best. Family caregivers have a chance to practice, which can be a calmer learning experience for everyone involved.

Encourage Seniors to Be Independent

Just because seniors have dementia, that doesn’t mean that they can’t still do quite a lot on their own. With the right guidance and support, seniors with dementia can still do many different daily activities. Sometimes prompts or visual cues can help keep them on track. Allowing seniors with dementia to maintain independence gives them a way to maintain self-esteem, which is so important for them.

Practice Safety

There are so many possible safety issues for seniors with dementia who age in place. Alzheimer’s care providers stay alert for safety issues and can recommend changes that help seniors stay safe as their cognitive health changes. Eventually, solutions like locking away dangerous items like medications and sharp implements become necessary to keep seniors safe.

Encourage Activities That Stimulate the Brain

Alzheimer’s care experts can also help families encourage seniors with dementia to keep doing activities that stimulate their brains. These can be games and puzzles, reading favorite books, or trying new crafting skills. Keeping the mind active helps to slow down dementia, even if only a tiny bit.

Allow Family Caregivers to Take Respite Time

It is so difficult to witness the changes that dementia brings to a familiar and beloved family member. Family caregivers need to be able to take breaks so they can focus on something else for even a short period of time. Alzheimer’s care providers have the experience and skills that help family caregivers feel more comfortable taking respite time when they need it. When they come back, they’re better able to face the challenges again.

Caring for a family member with dementia is difficult work, made even more difficult when families try to go it alone. Alzheimer’s care services offer families the hands-on and emotional support that they need to keep being there for seniors with dementia. Helping seniors to age in place as dementia progresses offers them stability, while also allowing family members to be there for as long as possible.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s care in Sunnyvale, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers today (408) 317-4969.