Understanding the Late Stage of Alzheimer’s Disease
November 2, 2017
Due to its progressive nature, Alzheimer’s disease will worsen and the symptoms increase over the time that your parent is living with it. This means that as their family caregiver you must not only be prepared to care for them and help them manage the challenges that they are facing now, but also look ahead and take steps to be ready for when those needs change and increase.
The longest stage of Alzheimer’s disease is the moderate, or middle, stage, but the one that is often the most exhausting is the late stage. Also known as the advanced stage of the disease, the late stage of Alzheimer’s is the last stage and marks the beginning of your parent’s end-of-life transition. Knowing what to expect at this point in the progression is an important part of readying yourself throughout the journey and ensuring that you make the decisions that are right for both your parent and yourself as you move forward.
Some of the issues and challenges that you might expect during the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease include:
• Requiring 24-hour care for all daily activities and needs
• Increased need for personal care
• Loss of awareness of the world around them
• Loss of awareness of even very recent activities or experiences
• Diminishment of physical functioning, including loss of ability to sit, stand, walk, or move independently
• Eventual loss of the ability to swallow
• Increased difficulty communicating, and eventually total loss
• No longer recognizing the people around them, even their closest family and care providers
• Increased vulnerability to illness and infection
Whether you have recently found out that your aging parent is living with Alzheimer’s disease, or they have been progressing through this disease for some time and have developed symptoms that you do not feel you can handle on your own, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elder care for them. An elderly home care services provider can act as a supplement to the care that you already give your senior so that you can feel confident that they are getting everything that they need, while also reducing your stress, easing your care burden, and allowing you to focus on your own health, well-being, and quality of life as well.
These highly personalized services can include managing sensitive tasks that you are not comfortable handling, providing safe transportation, offering companionship and support, assisting with activities of daily living, and providing personal care designed to specifically help your loved one with the struggles that they are facing now, and those that they may develop later in their progression.
If you are considering hiring homecare in Monroeville, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Liken Home Care.
Call (412) 693-6820 or (855) 856-0551
Source:
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp
https://alz.org/10-signs-symptoms-alzheimers-dementia.asp
https://www.alz.org/facts/