Keeping Alzheimer’s Patients At Home

October 25, 2022

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Caregiver Training: Home Safety | UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program

If youre experiencing memory loss, you should go to a doctor. Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. He or she will also ask you about your medication and any stress youre experiencing. After the exam, he or she will likely ask you to make an appointment with a neuropsychologist. If youre unable to recall the details of your doctor, you may want to consult another healthcare provider.

Initial Causes Keeping Alzheimers Patients At Home

There are several different causes of memory loss. Some cause this condition in the young, while others may be more gradual. If you notice that your memory is weakening, its important to consult a medical professional. Whether the cause is mental illness, age, or a combination of factors, its important to seek treatment as soon as possible. People with extensive memory loss may have social difficulties and anxiety, which can lead to depression. They may be afraid they are letting their loved ones down, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Keeping Alzheimers Patients at Home

Fortunately, there are many causes of memory loss, and many of them are treatable. However, if you are experiencing serious memory problems, you may need medical treatment. If you have been undergoing any type of medication, you should consult with your doctor. Some people have other underlying conditions that may be causing their loss of memory. Alcohol abuse, sleep deprivation, or other mental health conditions can cause memory problems. You should seek out a medical professional if you suspect youre suffering from any of these conditions.

Helpful Daily Activities For Dementia Patients: 50 Expert Tips And Suggestions To Keep Your Loved One Engaged

Staying active and engaged is beneficial for both physical and cognitive health, so its particularly important for people with dementia or Alzheimers disease to engage in daily activities. Some activities have proven to be particularly helpful for those with dementia, such as games, exercise and outdoor activities, and music and art, as well as maintaining day-to-day routines. Providing structure and routine for a person living with dementia helps to maintain their cognitive function, sense of security, and can calm anxious or aggressive behaviors. It also helps provide a sense of control over their day and their environment, especially for those in the early stages of the disease. For those in the end stage of dementia, many of these activities are often one of the few ways they can still engage their memories and communicate.

To help you keep your loved one busy and actively engaged in meaningful activities, here are 50 tips from caregivers, memory care facility administrators, dementia and Alzheimers experts, and others who have experience in working with those living with dementia. Keep in mind that everyone enjoys different activities, and you should try the activities that best fit your loved ones personality, needs, and situation. These 50 helpful daily activities are not listed in order of importance, but they are categorized to help you quickly find the activities best suited for your loved one.

How Alliance Homecare Approaches Alzheimers And Dementia Senior Care In New York

Alzheimers is a progressive disease, meaning symptoms of confusion, disorientation, and memory loss worsen over time in patients, most often seniors. However, many of our elderly loved ones can find ways to cope with this disease and still continue their daily life routine with the guidance and personal care that a skilled home health aide can provide.

At Alliance Homecare, a registered nurse creates a personalized plan of care that is reinforced by a Home Health Aide caring for those living with this disease. They provide assistance to our Alzheimers patients, ensuring that they are being properly cared for and supported at all times. Our Home Health Aides undergo special training that allow them to understand the effects of Alzheimers disease and assist in reducing risks associated with this memory impairment.

Installing Grab Bars And Other Safety Modifications In The Bathroom

While slips and hot water burns can happen in the bathroom, there are various adjustments that can reduce risk.

Experts recommend adhesive strips in showers and bathtubs to prevent slips, replacing a step-over bathtub with a walk-in shower or installing a bench. Instead of using a towel rack as a handle in the bathroom, colorful grab bars give people living with dementia a sturdier and more visible option for something to hang on to in order to prevent a fall.

As Alzheimers disease and related forms of dementia may alter peoples sense of touch, experts also recommend installing scald protection features on faucets, which detects if water reaches unsafe temperatures and stops the flow of water automatically.

Also Check: How To Calm Someone With Dementia

Use A Monitoring System

A baby monitor with two-way audio, like this Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor, or a similar monitoring system is a great investment for the caregiver.

Good monitors like the one we have linked to come with cameras that can tilt or can pan 360 degrees.

A baby monitor should be placed in every room, along with motion detectors and door sensors with alarms to keep the patient from leaving the house.

Learn Alzheimers Communication Tips

Communicating with a person who has Alzheimers disease can become incredibly challenging, but much of what a family caregiver does depends upon mutual understanding. Without clear communication, both caregivers and patients are left feeling frustrated and misunderstood. When combined with ample practice and patience, the following suggestions can improve interactions and facilitate daily care tasks.

Choose simple words and short sentences and use a gentle, calm tone of voice.
Speak slowly and clearly, but do not talk to the person with Alzheimers like a baby.
Maintain respect dont speak about them as if they werent there.
Minimize distractions and background noise, such as the television or radio, to help the person focus on and process what you are saying.
Allow enough time for them to respond, and be careful not to interrupt.
If you cant understand what they are trying to say, look for nonverbal clues and take their surrounding environment into consideration.
Learn to interpret gestures, descriptions and substitutions.
Offer choices instead of asking open-ended questions.

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Home Modifications For Alzheimers Patients

The caregiver will have to prepare the home for the Alzheimers patient in the same way they would prepare a house for toddlers.

You certainly should never treat a patient like a toddler, but many of the methods of childproofing a home will prove helpful for helping Alzheimers patients safe as well.

How To Communicate With Someone Who Has Dementia

Safe at Home — A Caregiver’s Guide

As dementia progresses, it affects peoples ability to express themselves so you may need to learn new ways to understand and communicate with the person you care for. Here are some tips:

If they don’t seem to be making sense, try to look for the meaning behind their words.

Speak slowly and clearly, using simple language and short sentences.

Avoid offering them complex choices keep things simple with questions that only need a yes or no answer.

Avoid testing their memory by asking them about what they’ve been doing. Try not to get into arguments about what they say even if you think theyre mistaken. Simply listening to what theyre saying rather than correcting them can help someone feel acknowledged.

Create a memory book to help them remember special times. This could be a collection of photos that represent happy events like weddings, holidays, or the birth of children. Memory books can help health and social care professionals understand the person. too.

If youre struggling with unusual or challenging behaviour, speak to the persons GP to get a referral to your community mental health team. The Alzheimer Societys factsheet Aggressive behaviour has more useful information including how to react, working out triggers, and dealing with your own feelings.

It’s worth bearing in mind that distress and confusion may be caused by other health needs than dementia. Always discuss any concerns with the person’s GP so they can check for physical causes of symptoms.

Also Check: Can Lewy Body Dementia Be Reversed

Handling Loss Of Communication

Patients with dementia may have difficulty finding the correct words, understanding instructions, and employ many gestures rather than verbally communicating. Often, talking to a family member with dementia may prove challenging and frustrating. However, remember that they are not trying to be difficult on purpose, and try your best to empathise with them. We have compiled some tips to help you and your dementia patient communicate effectively:

Short and sweet conversations Avoid lengthy explanations and break down instructions into simpler steps so that they are easier to take in.
Be patient and gentle Having to repeat certain things to them may be frustrating but getting agitated will only make the situation worse. Wait for them to reply and do not interrupt them. Avoid arguing or criticising them.
Prompt gestures Encourage them to use non-verbal forms of communication to express themselves.
Ask one thing at a time Dementia patients often find it challenging to focus. Let them concentrate on answering one thing at a time.
Simple, specific questions Ask questions that have simple answers, such as yes/no questions. For example, ask Do you want to wear this blue shirt today? instead of What would you like to wear today?

Keep them focused Remove distractions such as the TV when communicating with dementia patients.

Devise A Daily Routine

In much the same way that a familiar home environment is reassuring, establishing a daily sequence of tasks and activities also helps keep Alzheimers patients focused and oriented. Begin by observing your loved ones daily routines and looking for patterns in their mood and behavior. This information will help you alter your expectations and optimize your care plan. For example, if they tend to be less confused and more cooperative in the morning, then adapting your routine to make the most of those lucid moments may help the entire day go more smoothly.

Keep in mind that Alzheimers patients abilities and preferences often fluctuate from day to day, so try to be flexible and adapt as needed. From there, consider incorporating the tips below into your Alzheimers care plan to ensure a long, safe and successful home-based care experience for you and your loved one.

Unpaid Caregivers And The Supports Available

The federal, provincial and territorial governments recognize the need to keep seniors at home as long as is suitable for the person, as well as the benefits of doing so. They also recognize that their caregivers require significant support. The literature describing and analyzing services that support and sustain people with dementia living in their own homes is growing. The expansion of these services and programs is also growing, partly due to policies and practices that are increasingly emphasizing the benefits of supporting people to live in their own homes, for the individuals, their caregivers and health systems at large. While there are multiple gaps in the evidence base, some of the practices and recommendations that may help keep seniors with dementia in the community longer include

Providing effective support to those living with dementia in the community and their families is an important component of dementia strategies. Such support helps caregivers to maintain their caregiving activities and have a personally rewarding experience. Find out more about some of the community support resources available for caregivers in Unpaid caregiver challenges and supports.

When To Consider Professional In

Are dementia patients better at home? This question is one of the most common thoughts plaguing family members and friends of recently diagnosed dementia patients.

Knowing how to care forthose with Alzheimers and dementia and understanding the options for home health care for dementia patients is critical for families trying to navigate the complicated healthcare system.

For seniors diagnosed with Alzheimers, living at home is often ideal because it provides them with benefits, like:

Comfortability with their surroundings
Longer, more fulfilled lives
Cost savings when compared with assisted living or nursing home facilities

However, caring for a loved one with dementia as an adult child or family member may be more than you can handle on your own. There may come a time when professional in-home care for seniors with dementia is necessary.

If youre unsure what caring for your loved one with dementia looks like, keep reading.

This article will explore how to help seniors with dementia and share tips for keeping Alzheimers patients at home. Youll also get answers to questions, like Can Alzheimers patients live at home? and How long can dementia patients live at home?

Join us as we discuss how to best care for a loved one with dementia and ensure their highest quality of life as they age.

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Moving To A Care Home

If the persons needs become too great for you to manage at home, you may need to consider other long-term options. If youre becoming exhausted or the person with dementia is becoming harder to care for, a care home might be the best option for you both.

A move to a care home can be a difficult decision, but there are limits to the care you can provide.

If the person you care for is moving into a care home, familiar furniture, belongings or music can help them feel more settled.

Living At Home With Dementia

As Canadas population ages and chronic disease rates increase, federal, provincial and territorial governments are recognizing the need to make home care more available and accessible. About 61% of seniors in Canada with dementia live outside of long-term care or nursing homes: 69% of those younger than 80 and 58% of those 80 and older. A Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities is a recent agreement between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to provide substantial federal investment over 10 years, in part, to improving access to health care and support services at home and in the community.

Recommended Reading: How Fast Does Frontotemporal Dementia Progress

Top Rated Assisted Living Communities By City

If someone you love is living with early-stage dementia, continuing to live at home around familiar objects and people can help keep their mind stimulated and may slow memory loss. In many cases, theyll require full-time care and support to ensure their safety and quality of life. Whether you choose to provide their care yourself or hire a professional caregiver to help, its possible to care for someone with dementia at home.

Helpful Resources

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Tips For Caring For Someone With Alzheimers At Home

Caregiver Training: Repetitive Questions | UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program

When an aging loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, their family often chooses to care for them at home for as long as possible. The comforts of a familiar environment can be highly beneficial, but keeping Alzheimers patients at home becomes increasingly difficult as they decline. Each day brings new challenges, unexpected behaviors and changes in functional abilities.

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions in dementia care, so Alzheimers caregivers usually devise their own strategies for dealing with a loved ones unique mix of symptoms. Furthermore, the effectiveness of certain strategies is likely to change throughout the course of a patients illness. The only way to find out what works for you and your loved one is through constant trial and error.

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Home Safety And Alzheimer’s Disease

Over time, people with Alzheimers disease become less able to manage around the house. For example, they may forget to turn off the oven or the water, how to use the phone during an emergency, which things around the house are dangerous, and where things are in their own home.

As a caregiver, you can do many things to make the persons home a safer place. Think preventionhelp avoid accidents by controlling possible problems.

While some Alzheimers behaviors can be managed medically, many, such as wandering and agitation, cannot. It is more effective to change the persons surroundingsfor example, to remove dangerous itemsthan to try to change behaviors. Changing the home environment can give the person more freedom to move around independently and safely.

Addressing Smoke And Fire Hazards In The Kitchen

Accidents are prone to happen in the kitchen: Grant Warner, who specializes in designing senior living spaces for the architectural firm HKS. said people could sometimes leave the stoves on for hours at a time, filling the house with smoke and igniting fires.

For smart alarm systems, Warner suggested automatic shut-off technologies for stoves and microwaves from FireAvert. He also recommended automatic fire extinguishing systems like the Guardian G300B as another line of defense.

According to Dulaney, being aware of these fire hazards is critical, but it is also important for individuals to maintain their independence to the extent possible in carrying out daily tasks, such as preparing a meal.

My philosophy is that you want people to be able to do what they can do for as long as possible, Dulaney said. If they can use a microwave, a toaster safely, I would want them to continue to be able to do that, but you might take the knobs off the stove at night if theyre going to wake up and try to cook something.

You can try to make the task safer for them in a way that allows them to continue to do it, Dulaney said.

Also, be sure you have carbon monoxide detectors and other standard safety measures throughout the home and that your fire safety measures are up to code.

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