Living Safely at Home With Alzheimer's Disease

The July and August 2011 issues of Caring Right at Home examined recent accomplishments in earlier and more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. What does this revolution in identifying and even predicting the disease mean for patients and families?

With no cure for Alzheimer’s on the immediate horizon, it’s understandable that seniors who are experiencing symptoms of memory loss might avoid medical evaluation, preferring the temporary comfort of denial. “There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m just having a senior moment,” family members report hearing their loved one say.

Yet delaying diagnosis is the worst possible choice. The symptoms might be caused by depression, negative drug side effects, or one of the many conditions that can mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but which might be treatable.

If Alzheimer's is the diagnosis, early detection allows for targeted treatment and lifestyle choices that may delay the appearance of symptoms. It also allows the patient and family to plan ahead for care that will ensure the best possible quality of life—physical, emotional and spiritual.

When the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease

After the diagnosis, the patient and family have a lot on their plate. They must think about how they will respond to the symptoms as the disease progresses. Families today find that there has been a change in the way we think about Alzheimer’s care. Today, memory enhancement strategies make the most of a patient’s remaining cognitive abilities. But as the disease advances, it becomes equally and then more important to adapt care to the patient’s condition, validating their reality in a nonjudgmental way. Keeping the person safe and comfortable in an environment that respects their dignity is the goal.

Where is Alzheimer’s care provided?

Care should be tailored to the specific needs of each person with Alzheimer’s disease. For some patients, residential care in an assisted living community, skilled nursing home or designated memory care facility may be the best choice.

Most people with Alzheimer’s wish to remain at home as long as possible. Whether in the patient’s own house or condo, in the home of a loved one, or in a senior living apartment, receiving care at home often allows for the highest quality of life and dignity, at significant cost savings. At home, the patient experiences a familiar frame of reference and the freedom to move around in a familiar place, with less restriction, less disruption of routine and schedule, and a continuity of connection to loved ones.

But the cost to family caregivers can be great. Caring for a loved one who has dementia can be an exhausting labor of love. As the disease progresses, family must deal with changes in their loved one’s behavior, such as agitation, delusions, wandering and disturbed sleep. They deal with grief that their family member sometimes seems to have been replaced by a stranger. Many of today’s 15 million Alzheimer’s family caregivers sacrifice their careers, their money and even their health to keep their loved one safe at home.

Caring for the caregiver is an important part of caring for loved ones! Alzheimer’s family caregivers should ask for help from friends and family. They should access community support services, and take advantage of new dementia-specific technologies and home modifications. Many families find that in-home care is the key to keeping their loved one home as long as possible.

Home care supports Alzheimer’s patients and families

Alzheimer's care in the home may include skilled healthcare services. But much of the care can be best provided by less costly companion care. An in-home caregiver who is experienced with the special challenges of dementia care can be a tremendous help, providing a watchful, nonjudgmental presence in the home and helping the patient maintain a comforting routine. In-home caregivers can provide:

• Gentle, dementia-sensitive personal care, such as assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting and incontinence care;
  
  
• Nutritious meals and snacks that the client enjoys, appropriate to his or her eating ability;
  
  
• Meaningful activities that are appropriate for the client’s interests and abilities;
  
  
• Strategies to decrease negative behaviors such as agitation and wandering by reducing stress and anxiety;
  
  
• Transportation to healthcare appointments, outings and errands when it is no longer safe for the client to drive;
  
  
• Medication management assistance;
  
  
• Housekeeping, laundry and removing clutter that could cause falls; and,
  
  
• Overnight care and supervision.

Loneliness, depression, a sense of isolation and caregiver burnout are common when family spend virtually all their time and energy meeting their loved one’s increasing needs. In-home care supports these family caregivers as well. Knowing their loved one is safe and well cared for by a reliable professional allows family to concentrate while at work, focus on other family relationships, socialize with friends and participate in activities they enjoy. With their emotional batteries recharged, the entire family is better equipped to spend meaningful time together.

Learn More

More than 60 percent of Alzheimer's patients will become lost at some time. For many who live at home, wandering is a major safety problem. Read “Wandering in Dementia Patients” in the June 2010 issue of Caring Right at Home to find suggestions from experienced home care professionals.

Since 1994, Sept. 21 has been recognized as World Alzheimer's Day. For 2011, the Alzheimer's Association has designated the entire month of September as World Alzheimer's Month. Visit the websites of Alzheimer's Disease International and the Alzheimer's Association to learn how communities are observing this event.

Right at Home, Inc. is a national organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those we serve. We fulfill that mission through a dedicated network of locally owned, franchised providers of in-home care services.