Dealing With Alzheimer’s Disease

For many people, Alzheimer’s Disease is something to be aware of every day, not just during November, Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. It is one of the most devastating medical anomalies affecting the elderly today. Many of Interim HealthCare’s patients have the illness and need special attention for their daily needs through eldercare services. Alzheimer’s affects more than half of those over the age of 85.

Our trained professionals are well-versed in home health care, and many of them regularly take care of people affected by Alzheimer’s. It is a full-time job that requires great vigilance, patience and kindness. Interim HealthCare provides both part-time and full-time caregivers, depending on the needs of the client. Often, family members will attempt to fill this role themselves on a full-time basis or juggle it with a career, children and part-time assistance from our staff.

Taking care of family members and loved ones who have the disease can be heartbreaking and discouraging for those who deal with it every day. Adult children looking after parents with the dreadful disease will often find that their parents do not know who they are, or will commonly call them by the names of other siblings or relatives.

The common state of confusion as to time and place can make simple conversations annoying and repetitive. While it is easy to become impatient with those who suffer from the disease, the family members taking care of them frequently lose patience with themselves, feeling frustration and helplessness over the situation.

There are different ways of coping with Alzheimer’s patients, especially when they are family, and people handle this differently. It takes great energy and calmness on a daily basis for home caregivers, which can be taxing over the long term. Some deal with it by having an occasional “day off,” when another family member or helper will come in and stay with the patient. This gives them a chance to tend to their own personal needs. One of the most helpful coping mechanisms is for family caregivers to join a support group and share their experiences with people like them who have Alzheimer’s sufferers in their lives.

Some people find themselves unable to be the primary caregivers at all, preferring to hand off the baton to home health care agencies like Interim that can provide kind, professional skilled assistance to their loved ones. This may be due to physical or emotional limitations, long distances or a plate already filled with caring for others.

If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or a friend who does, take a moment to give them a hug in honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.