Senior Care Tips for Family Members Dealing With Alzheimer’s

Caring for an aging parent takes patience and scheduling to avoid stress. When you provide senior care to a parent with Alzheimer’s there’s an emotional aspect that can make it hard to avoid stress. As your parent starts to forget who you are, it’s impossible not to feel hurt.

Here are some senior care tips you can use when caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s. They come from family caregivers who have been in your shoes.

Dig Down and Summon All the Patience You Can

Caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s takes a lot of patience. There are going to be times you just don’t think you can stand it anymore. As one man found, his mother asking him over and over again if he’d paid her bills was tiring. After asking him for the eighth time in a span of five minutes, he was ready to explode.

Before you reach that point, you can try changing the subject. Most people with Alzheimer’s can easily be distracted by another conversation, TV show, or question. Instead of losing his temper, he started asking her questions about her grocery inventories. It forced her to change her focus and go into the kitchen to see what was in her fridge and cupboards.

Spend Time in Their World

No matter how difficult it may seem, be present in the Alzheimer’s patient’s world. If your dad gets up and believes it is 1950, don’t correct him. Instead, ask him about his favorite things and people from that time. Research popular meals from that decade and cook something suitable for breakfast.

You may learn a lot about your dad this way. One woman listened to her mom’s story about meeting the Beatles on an English beach while they were still a relatively unknown band. They’d come to her seaside town to perform at the Spa and were taking a walk on the beach hours before the show. Hearing that story for the first time was a moment she will never forget.

Don’t Try to Do It All

Caregiving is exhausting. Don’t try to do it all by yourself. Enlist the help of other family members to provide you with a break. If you don’t have other family members or family members you can rely on, talk to a senior care agency about respite care.

Take a break and go out while a caregiver takes over. Respite care is an essential senior care service for any family caregiver. Call an agency to learn more.

If you are considering hiring Homecare in Pittsburgh, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Liken Home Care. Call (412) 693-6820 or (855) 856-0551.