If your father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, how long ago did this happen? Most people are diagnosed about one or two years after the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s begin making themselves known. The most common sign and symptom of Alzheimer’s is memory loss.
During the initial months following diagnosis, it often seems as though you and perhaps others in the family are all he needs to get through these difficult months and years ahead, but things change. Sometimes, things can change quickly.
It’s not going to be easy supporting an aging parent or even for your mother as she supports her spouse through this form of dementia. As your father moves through the different stages of dementia, help will be necessary. You will feel overwhelmed. You will all feel like giving up.
And, in most likelihood, there will be a lot of emotional pain along the way.
How can you avoid some of the greatest challenges?
It’s not about avoiding them, but finding better ways to deal with them. One of the most effective ways is called home care services. When you rely on a home care services aide who has worked with other seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, they will have great strategies, effective tools at their disposal that can make a world of difference.
Do you know anything about Sundowner’s syndrome? Maybe you heard about it or read that is possible in certain pamphlets or books you consumed to help you better prepare for life in the years ahead. But unless you have experienced it firsthand, you will be stunned.
It will catch you off guard. And, depending on how it manifests itself with your father, it can hurt.
The emotional wounds and even physical scars that can result from physical and verbal outbursts when somebody is dealing with Alzheimer’s can last for years or even the rest of your life.
Turn to home care services to make a difference.
A home care services aide has seen it all. They have supported elderly clients through these long and difficult roads. They understand the strategies that make a difference, like spreading out tasks throughout the day that were often left for the end of the day.
When a person with Alzheimer’s is overwhelmed with too many things to do in the evening, this can lead to confusion and frustration and anxiety, which can lead to symptoms of Sundowner’s syndrome.
When you want to persevere with your father, turn to help. Home care services makes a difference.