The Role Of Long-Term In-Home Care For Alzheimer’s Patients
Caring for a family member inflicted with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease is both debilitating and a challenging task. Each day brings new demands as the caregiver copes with the rapid progression of the new patterns of behavior of the Alzheimer’s patient.
In preparing and setting up an effective home care for an Alzheimer’s patient, a compassionate caregiver must make the following changes in a new home environment:
1. As the disease progresses, adjusting your communication style to the patient’s changing needs.
2. Scheduling visitors to avoid surprises and have something to look forward to. Even if the elder with dementia does not recognize those who visit, the contact is nonetheless valuable for them.
3. Establishing routines in activities of daily living. Be accepting of the increasingly limited capabilities of the person with dementia and implement care strategies accordingly. Do your best to be patient, kind, flexible, supportive, and calm. This disease is no one’s fault, although it is very aggravating and disappointing.
By the same token, don’t take problem behaviors (like aggressiveness or wandering) personally. Accept the symptoms of the disease and proceed from there. Remember that the person is not behaving this way on purpose.
Plan activities that the patient is interested in, such as art, cooking, walking, swimming, or gardening. Focus on enjoyment, not achievement. If the person is lucid enough, involve them in making music, doing puzzles or crosswords, or playing memory games, card or board games. Or, the patient may passively enjoy hearing music, contact with pets, or sitting outside in the garden.
Go for walks in the neighborhood, go for a drive, or spend time at a park. Walking is often therapeutic, although the pace may not be as vigorous as you might like. Develop a style of paying more attention to the beauty and novelty of your surroundings as you walk.
4. Maintaining social contacts and fun. During the early stage of the disease, caregivers can promote the patient’s sense of well being by providing emotional support and by helping to maintain familiar activities and social contacts.
Even when Alzheimer’s patients no longer have the cognitive ability to understand your humor, they can still appreciate it. They may still smile or laugh and sharing that laughter can be a relief to both you and your charge. Use the same modes of humor as you always have: teasing, nonsense, clowning. Be even more silly than usual!
To counteract isolation and loneliness, encourage family and friends to stay involved. Take the patient to family gatherings if it’s comfortable to do so. Schedule visitors, to avoid surprises and have something to look forward to. Even if the elder with dementia does not recognize those who visit, the contact is nonetheless valuable for them.
Sometimes the caregiver will want to join the patient in family gatherings or stay in the home when visitors are present. Caregivers can start feeling isolated and lonely themselves as more and more of their time is built around the elder’s needs. If the patient feels safe with the visitors, the caregiver can use the visiting time as an opportunity for relief and respite. Adult day care has similar benefits: social stimulation for the patient and free time for the caregiver.
5. Promote comfort and safety. As problems with memory and judgment increase, the patient becomes more vulnerable to accidents and injuries. There will be times when you’ll want to remind the person that they have Alzheimer’s. At other times it might be better to refer to a “memory problem.” Even if you repeatedly tell the elder that they have Alzheimer’s disease, they may not remember that you told them. Be prepared to patiently repeat the information at times when you’re trying to help the person understand why they can’t do something or why you are taking over a task the person used to do.
Carefully screened and compassionate caregivers regard their responsibility as a way of being involved with their loved one. Their caring is based on unconditional love, and they do not consider it a burden. Dementia patients are able to read body language and to respond to the positive attitudes of the caregiver. Where patient and caregiver have had problems in their past relationship, it can be especially challenging to empathize and be kind, so a support system for the caregiver is most important.
6. Communicate with an Alzheimer’s patient. A good home care service trains caregivers to acknowledge requests and respond to these patients. Don’t argue or try to change the person’s mind, even if you believe the request is irrational. Be affectionate with the patient, if this feels natural. Try not to set up a cycle of paying attention only when the person displays problem behaviors. Break this negative cycle by being supportive of positive behavior.
Jack Haddad, MD, MBA
Portfolio Manager
MD Capital Management
Affiliated Hospitals
Sutter-Roseville Medical Center, Roseville, CA
San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
San Jose Orthopedic Medical Group, San Jose, CA
Highland Hospital, Oakland, CA
Dr. Jack Haddad, MD, MBA is the founder and owner of King of Home Care, an independently owned non-medical In-home care agency. In addition to his compassion and dedication to the home care industry, Dr. Haddad’s expertise and knowledge with In-Home Care is evident by the clinical research trials that he has conducted over the years.
Image Forward Welcomes Franchise Network Senior Care as Newest Client
Largest international home care company hires Image Forward of Tampa, Florida as internet marketing group.
Image Forwards Business Internet Promotion Experts have been selected to provide internet marketing and advertising for Home Instead Home Health Care, an international franchise which provides elderly care and elderly companionship for seniors. Image Forward will enhance the internet presence of the Home Instead Home Health Care franchise network.
Headquartered in Tampa Bay, FL, Image Forward, an innovative internet marketing company features SEO consultants and SEM specialists who combine an internet business directory, website optimization and search engine promotion. Home Instead will be listed in its key premier directory.
The world’s largest home care company, Home Instead Senior Care provides home services in the clients home and is located in more than 800 cities around the globe. This includes the countries United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, New Zealand, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, and Austria.
Home Insteads services include respite care, Alzheimer’s Care, escorting to appointments, assistance walking, helping with eating, bathing, incontinence, and cognitive impairment and many more.
“We look forward to delivering high-quality internet support to Home Instead.” said Michael Huth, CEO of Image Forward. “Our seniors deserve the best and Home Instead brings unique, personalized attention to senior homecare. It is a privilege to help promote this kind of company.”
Image Forward, a privately held company based in Tampa, FL, has been in business since 2002 and specializes in Internet Marketing and Internet Advertising. Image Forward services focus upon nation-wide Advertising Campaigns and large, multiple location businesses.
Image Forward maintains BRAND CONSISTENCY to help increase a Brand Presence on the Internet and communicate the brand with the franchisor. Image Forward only works with 1 Franchisor per vertical industry.
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