How to care for older adults with Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia (50–70%), and every 68 seconds one more person in the world develops Alzheimer’s (cr:thebangkokinsight.com)
Dad has had Alzheimer’s for more than 10 years. In the early period, I admit it was an extremely difficult condition for everyone in the family. Today (September 21) is Alzheimer’s Day, so I’d like to share ways to care for Alzheimer’s patients and how family members can adapt, to be beneficial to other families.
How can you tell that it might be Alzheimer’s?
- A basic guideline for initial assessment is: if you forget something but still remember that you forgot, it means the brain is still normal. But if you cannot remember at all that you did something—for example, you forget that you left the water running and cannot remember that you turned it on, or you have already eaten but say you have not eaten anything—this suggests dementia.
- People with dementia often have problems with thinking, planning, and understanding cause and effect, as well as language problems: speaking incorrectly, naming objects incorrectly, difficulty choosing words so speech becomes disjointed and communication is not understood; in later stages they speak less and may eventually be unable to speak.
- They have difficulty learning new things, often repeat the same story to the same person and ask the same questions repeatedly. They may put things in the wrong place or be unable to find them and think someone stole them. If close family members do not understand, this can lead to arguments with the patient or cause tension within the family.
How to care for an Alzheimer’s patient
- Keep talking with them regularly. Don’t assume they can’t remember anything anymore and leave them sitting alone. Even if they don’t respond, they can still hear and understand.
- You should not let them nap for too long during the day because it may cause sleep problems at night.
- Most importantly, communicate with love: choose a gentle tone of voice, hold their hand or give a light massage, walk while holding hands; hugging or saying "I love you" can help fill the emotional void.
Even we ourselves feel good when someone tells us they love us often. Our parents feel no different, even if they can no longer remember anything.
- If it is necessary to hire a caregiver, remember that family members must always help provide attentive care as well. Dementia is not one person's issue; everyone in the family needs to help.
- This is very important: caregivers must take care of themselves too. They should rotate with others to take over sometimes to reduce fatigue and accumulated stress; otherwise, they may become another patient.
Caring for an Alzheimer's patient isn't easy, but we can get through it if everyone helps.
