What To Do After a Senior Loved One Is Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
Some estimates are that a half million seniors are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s each year. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Month and it’s a good time to learn more about Alzheimer’s. If your senior loved one has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s it’s ok to be upset and confused. It’s a scary and uncertain time while you try to process what the diagnosis means for your senior parent. It will take time for you and your family members to fully grasp the diagnosis and what it means for your senior loved one. If your senior loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s you should:
Take A Beat
Elder Care Buffalo Grove, IL: Alzheimer’s Disease and Seniors
It’s ok to take some time to process the diagnosis. You may want to learn more about Alzheimer’s by reading some books, joining some advocacy groups, or joining a support group for the family members of those with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s affects all seniors differently so the way that your senior experiences Alzheimer’s will be different than the way other seniors experience it. But it can help you process it and prepare for the changes in your senior loved one when you talk to other family members who are in the same situation.
Talk To Your Senior Parent
It’s very important to talk with your senior loved one about their wishes for the future and for medical care now. There is no way to tell how fast the progression of Alzheimer’s will be for them so you need to talk to them while their cognition is still good about any decisions that need to be made. Ultimately medical decisions and other decisions will be yours but it will help you make the right decisions if you know what your senior parent’s wishes are. Get them in writing.
Get Senior Home Care
Elder care providers with experience caring for seniors with Alzheimer’s can be a huge help to you and your senior loved one. They can help with everyday chores like house cleaning, cooking, shopping, and laundry. But they can also help keep your senior loved one’s cognitive skills strong for as long as possible by playing games, engaging in hobbies, exercising, and doing other activities with your senior loved one. It’s best to start having an elder care provider come to the house now so that your senior loved one can start to build a relationship with a home care provider. As their Alzheimer’s progresses it will help if they have a strong connection to their elder care provider.
Make Your Loved One’s Home Safe
It’s never too early to start making sure that your senior parent’s home is safe for them as their Alzheimer’s progresses. It may seem like an intimidating job to try and anticipate their every need when you don’t even know how the Alzheimer’s will affect them or how fast it will progress. Start slowly by making small changes and steadily make improvement and changes to the house for safety. Your senior parent’s elder care provider should have lots of suggestions for ways that you can make the home friendly and safe for someone with Alzheimer’s.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care in Buffalo Grove, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
Source:
https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/article/alzheimers-disease-facts-figures
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