More than 4 million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Statistics show that the number of sufferers will continue to increase as more people will reach the retirement age.
People who are diagnosed with the disorder do not have to be confined in the hospital. The best Alzheimer's care facility does not cost much because the patient can be treated in the comforts of one's home.
What are the changes that need to be done to the home? The good news is, none. Those who are taking care of the patient should just be sure it is clean, clutter and noise free at all times.
If the family members are busy with other things, an ad can be placed in the paper or someone can call the agency to have a caregiver look after the sufferer. These specialists are trained to give aid to the patient.
What activities are done in the care facility? For starters, memory exercises will be done so the patient can still remember the names of the family members. A basic one will be through the use of flash cards that have the name and photo of the person.
Most of the time, the caretaker will be beside the patient. Instead of doing nothing, it wouldn’t hurt to strike up a conversation. It does not have to be anything serious but just enough to keep the person active because an inactive mind may lead to depression.
The individual should always make eye-to-eye contact when talking to the patient at the same time speaking slowly and clearly for the other person to understand.
Alzheimer sufferers tend to wander off. The patient could walk to the end of the street or even walk farther without the caretaker even knowing and that is worse. A failsafe system must be put in place such as making sure the doors and windows are locked at all times.
Should the patient manage to get out, the second fail-safe will be to attach a bracelet or a card. This will make it easy for someone to return the person home or be informed where the sufferer can be picked up.
The Alzheimer's care facility is open 24/7 with most of the concentration spent at night. This is because the symptoms are more active during this time so the best way to calm the patient down is through a little exercise.
The patient can help do the dishes or work on the laundry. A cup of warm milk or tea can be given. If this doesn't work, perhaps going for a little stroll together outside for a little exercise may make the sufferer sleepy and go off to bed.
Some states have nursing homes and reputable home care facilities to treat the patient. There are numbers in the directory as well as in the Internet that people can inquire.
The individual should not be surprised should the place not accept just anyone who can no longer take on the burden of taking care of the loved one because of the limited space and the stage of the disease.
The person can choose to pay a huge sum or spend the remaining days with the loved one close to home to at least have a few good memories until the patient will finally go off to a better place.
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