How Can Senior Care Help With the Seven Stages of Alzheimer's?
December 4, 2018
Families who are dealing with Alzheimer's know there are seven stages. With each stage, you'll find senior care can be an incredible help. Here are the ways caregivers help out as Alzheimer's progresses.
Senior Care in Belmont CA: Alzheimer's Care
The Early Stages.
In stage one and two, it's unlikely you notice much difference in your parent's mood or abilities. It's likely doctors haven't even diagnosed the disease yet. If they have, they're likely calling it mild cognitive impairment rather than Alzheimer's.
It's also unlikely that your mom or dad will need senior care services. Symptoms that may be noticeable are mild forgetfulness. Your parent may lose items and not be able to retrace his or her steps in order to locate them.
Stage three becomes a little more noticeable. A caregiver may help at this point. Your mom or dad may forget words, have a hard time remembering people's names, and struggle to plan or organize daily routines. A caregiver can help with organizing and remembering appointments and medication refills.
The Middle Stages.
In the fourth stage, your parent will find it hard to manage household finances. Shopping is a challenge as it can be hard to count money. Your parent may forget things that happened earlier in the day and events that happened at some point in his or her life.
Caregivers can help your parent eat and drink food on a consistent schedule. Caregivers can also help sort mail and help your parent shop for groceries. By the fifth stage, senior care services that help with dressing, transportation, and meal preparation are also important.
The Advanced Stages.
The sixth stage of Alzheimer's is when you will find around-the-clock care may become necessary. Your parent will likely struggle to know where he or she is and what year, month, or day it is. Help with toileting may be necessary. Your parent is also at risk of wandering and needs supervision to make sure he or she doesn't wander away from home.
It's hard to take, but the seventh stage is the worst. Your parent will decline to the point eating can be hard because the ability to swallow is affected. Your parent may no longer talk. Without help, there's little chance your parent will manage daily activities of living.
Don't wait until the symptoms of Alzheimer's are worsening to enlist the help of a senior care agency. Caregivers can help keep the stress down and let you focus on quality family time.