Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease
- May 2, 2024
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be one of the most difficult challenges that a caregiver can face. It is a struggle to watch the disease slowly progress to the point where communication with your loved one is difficult or impossible. If you are providing daily care for a senior with dementia, then you have additional challenges to face.
How can you provide the best care if you are caring for an Alzheimer’s patient? Here are some helpful tips for providing the best quality care.
3 Ways to Care for Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease
Although every situation is different, there are 3 basic things you have to remember to provide loving care to an Alzheimer suffer.
Communication
Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s can be very difficult. It’s important to remember that they cannot control what is happening. It also may be difficult for them to express themselves properly. Therefore, caregivers need to learn effective communication methods tailored to the patient.
It’s also important not to take what they say personally or try to correct them. For many Alzheimer’s sufferers, they only live in the present and making them feel relaxed and comfortable is very important. For example, if they point to pass the bread but say pass the cookies, avoid correcting them but pass what they are pointing at. This will help to avoid frustration and anger.
Patience
Being patient while caring for a loved senior suffering from dementia is also very important. They may keep repeating themselves, forget what they just asked, or accuse you of something you haven’t done. Your goal is to make the person relaxed at the present. So, try to answer in such a way that they feel at ease.
Patience may also be required if the person become angry of physical. This may be the only way that the person can express frustration at not being able to communicate their true needs and feelings.
Use body language
Body language and tone of voice is very important when caring for an elderly person with Alzheimer’s. Some ways to do this is to keep good eye contact when speaking, gently touch their arm or hand when speaking with them, and try not to vent frustration in your voice when speaking.
Also try to avoid negative body language like crossing arms and raising your voice. These are subtle ways that you can help care for the Alzheimer’s patient with love, care, and consideration.
