There’s no easy way to handle a situation when an aging parent has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It’s going to take time to process. Allow yourself the time needed to deal with your emotions.
However, it’s also important to understand just how critical being prepared will be. The future is going to be uncertain at times. Challenges will increase. And no matter how prepared you all feel at the moment, it’s not going to actually work out that way with every step.
Below are three important things to think about in these initial months after diagnosis.
1. Who is going to support this aging parent?
Is it going to be you? Another sibling? Your other parent? A friend? Many families rally around their aging loved one during moments of crisis. However, Alzheimer’s is a long and progressive disease and the dynamics will change in time. While it may seem relatively easy and straightforward at the moment, it will get tougher. That’s why you need to understand and accept that elder care may very well be the better option in the years ahead.
2. What do you want for their future?
You want your mother or father to be safe. That’s the primary thing, right? But you also want them to maintain a higher quality of life for as long as possible. In order for that to happen, they do need quality care. An experienced home care agency is ideally suited to help those seniors with Alzheimer’s. For family, love and support is great, but if you overlook some critical things, it could negatively impact their future.
3. Learn about home care.
This is crucial. Many people don’t think much about elder care until it’s beyond necessary. Don’t wait. If you’re elderly mother or father wants to remain home for the rest of their life, it’s possible. But they will need help. Experienced care. Learn about elder care now, so even if they do refuse it at the moment, you’ll be armed with the knowledge you’ll need later on.
The more prepared you are at this moment, the smoother their transition through the various stage of Alzheimer’s might be. When it’s the welfare of someone you love, the more you’ll be focused on helping them now, in the moment. But Alzheimer’s is a disease that changes. What seems easy and reasonable now won’t stay that way for long.