When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, it can be difficult to know where to turn. Your natural impulse to care for them at home may become complicated as their symptoms worsen, and there may come a point when it's time to reach out for help. Fortunately, finding the right home care agency to meet your needs and the needs of your relative doesn't have to be hard-in fact, there are many ways that professional home care nurses and support staff can help enrich and enliven the life of your family member. November is National Alzheimer's Disease and Awareness Month, so spend some time considering how a home care agency may be able to assist you in caring for your loved one. Here are just three ways professional caregivers can help support you.
1. Ensuring a Safe Environment
Although Alzheimer's often begins gradually, with patients struggling to remember recently learned information, it can quickly become more serious. Though forgetting to turn off a faucet or replace the cap on the cleaning supplies may not seem like a big deal, as the disease worsens these small memory lapses can start to have serious consequences. Professional caregivers can help you remain vigilant about the safety of your loved one's environment, ensuring that burners aren't left on, and that all dangerous items (such as chemical cleaning products, gasoline, scissors, and other sharp objects) are safely secured. Home care agency staff can also keep the home clutter-free and clean, so that nobody slips on a damp floor or trips over a discarded book or magazine.
2. Improve Memory Through Social Interaction
It's often difficult to spend as much time at home with elderly or unwell loved ones as you would like. As a result, Alzheimer's patients who are being cared for at home can spend a large portion of the day alone. Not only does this leave them susceptible to accidents, such as falls, it also significantly reduces the amount of social interaction they get each day. Studies have shown that having an active social life can improve memory for the elderly, particularly those suffering from dementia. A good health care agency can match you with a friendly, capable caregiver who can take care of your loved one's emotional and social needs, as well as their medical and safety requirements.
3. Help Maintain Independence
While it may seem counterintuitive, having a professional caregiver around can actually help your family member maintain and even increase their independence. A quality home care agency will employ staff who know how to balance your loved one's regular routines with the schedule changes necessary to keep them safe and happy. There's no need to remove them from their cherished home or disrupt the activities that bring them joy. On the contrary, a qualified caregiver will ensure your loved one keeps up with their hobbies and pursuits, whether it be watching their favorite TV shows with them or helping them to do the crossword.
It's never easy to ask for help, particularly when it comes to assisting an aging relative. However, the benefits of employing empathetic, caring staff from a licensed health care agency make an overwhelming difference in your loved one's quality of life.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Abigail_Aaronson/67432
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9250963
1. Ensuring a Safe Environment
Although Alzheimer's often begins gradually, with patients struggling to remember recently learned information, it can quickly become more serious. Though forgetting to turn off a faucet or replace the cap on the cleaning supplies may not seem like a big deal, as the disease worsens these small memory lapses can start to have serious consequences. Professional caregivers can help you remain vigilant about the safety of your loved one's environment, ensuring that burners aren't left on, and that all dangerous items (such as chemical cleaning products, gasoline, scissors, and other sharp objects) are safely secured. Home care agency staff can also keep the home clutter-free and clean, so that nobody slips on a damp floor or trips over a discarded book or magazine.
2. Improve Memory Through Social Interaction
It's often difficult to spend as much time at home with elderly or unwell loved ones as you would like. As a result, Alzheimer's patients who are being cared for at home can spend a large portion of the day alone. Not only does this leave them susceptible to accidents, such as falls, it also significantly reduces the amount of social interaction they get each day. Studies have shown that having an active social life can improve memory for the elderly, particularly those suffering from dementia. A good health care agency can match you with a friendly, capable caregiver who can take care of your loved one's emotional and social needs, as well as their medical and safety requirements.
3. Help Maintain Independence
While it may seem counterintuitive, having a professional caregiver around can actually help your family member maintain and even increase their independence. A quality home care agency will employ staff who know how to balance your loved one's regular routines with the schedule changes necessary to keep them safe and happy. There's no need to remove them from their cherished home or disrupt the activities that bring them joy. On the contrary, a qualified caregiver will ensure your loved one keeps up with their hobbies and pursuits, whether it be watching their favorite TV shows with them or helping them to do the crossword.
It's never easy to ask for help, particularly when it comes to assisting an aging relative. However, the benefits of employing empathetic, caring staff from a licensed health care agency make an overwhelming difference in your loved one's quality of life.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Abigail_Aaronson/67432
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9250963
