When your senior parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, family members always have a lot of questions. One of the most common questions is whether or not a senior parent with Alzheimer’s can continue living alone. And if they can, how long can they live alone?
If your senior parent is determined to continue living independently, then as a family, you need to talk about some of the safety issues that occur when seniors with Alzheimer’s live alone. As the disease progresses, seniors can:
- Leave faucets running
- Leave the stove on
- Blow out the pilot light, flooding the house with gas
- Wander out of the house
- Fall
- Cut themselves
- Lock a door and become trapped if they can’t remember how to unlock it
- Leave the refrigerator open
- Leave doors and windows open
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways that seniors with Alzheimer’s could get hurt living alone.
But, with dedicated Alzheimer’s and Dementia care, often seniors can live independently with Alzheimer’s. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s doesn’t mean that your senior parent must give up their cozy, familiar home.
What Is Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care?
Alzheimer’s and Dementia care is a special type of home care that is designed specifically to meet the unique needs of seniors who have Alzheimer’s. Care providers who work with seniors who have Alzheimer’s go through additional training to learn things like:
- How to communicate with seniors who have Alzheimer’s
- How to spot the signs that a senior with Alzheimer’s is hungry, thirsty, tired, or upset
- How to practice patience and active listening
- Understanding how the disease impacts the brain
- How to effectively help a senior with Alzheimer’s
That extra training means that a care provider can help keep your senior parent safe and comfortable at home no matter where they are on the Alzheimer’s journey.
Some of the ways that Alzheimer’s and Dementia care helps seniors are:
Keeping Them Safe
You can feel better knowing that someone is in the home to ensure your senior parent doesn’t wander off, burn themselves with hot water, or cause an emergency like a fire or flood. The care providers who specialize in working with seniors who have Alzheimer’s know lots of different ways to redirect a senior with Alzheimer’s and make sure they are safe.
Activities Of Daily Living
Care providers also help seniors with activities of daily living. An Alzheimer’s and Dementia care provider who is with your senior parent on a set schedule can help establish a routine of getting dressed, meals, and activities for your senior parent. People who have Alzheimer’s thrive on routine. Consistent care and a set schedule may not slow down the disease’s progression, but they can make a big difference in your senior parent’s happiness and comfort.
Nutrition
Seniors who have Alzheimer’s often forget to eat, and that can start very early in the progression of the disease. That’s one of the reasons why strict mealtimes are important.
Your senior parent may not recognize their own hunger cues, but they will know at a certain time of the day it’s time to eat. An Alzheimer’s and Dementia care provider can make meals that are easy for seniors with Alzheimer’s to eat and provide the nutrition your senior parent needs.
Family Support
A caregiver that is trained to work with seniors who have Alzheimer’s can be a great resource for family members too. They can answer your questions, provide respite care, and suggest things that can help you stay connected to your senior parent.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care in Delafield, WI, please contact the caring staff at Talem Home Care & Placement Services today. Call (414) 206-2090
At Talem Home Care of Milwaukee, we provide passionate, understanding, and flexible caregivers in Brookfield, Cudahy, Delafield, Franklin, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Shorewood, South Milwaukee, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.
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