If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with ALS, enlisting the help of in-home care sooner than later is a great first step in your care plan. ALS is a progressive disease. As time goes by your senior loved one may experience symptoms like slurred speech, difficulty breathing, and problems with balance. They also may suffer from muscle weakness, especially in the limbs, which can make doing certain tasks difficult. In-home care providers often have experience helping people with ALS so that they can safely get around the home and do the things they want to do. Some of the ways that in-home care will help your senior loved one include:
Fall Prevention
Fall prevention is important for anyone with ALS who his experiencing muscle weakness that could cause them to fall. A caregiver at home can help your senior loved one prevent falls by making sure that all the walkways and paths in the house are clear and dry at all times. By keeping the house tidy, removing clutter, and moving furniture when necessary a home care provider can make your senior loved one’s home easier to navigate. Even if your loved one needs to use a walker or a wheelchair a home care provider can help keep their home free of obstacles and safe to move around in.
Cooking And Meals
When your senior loved one has muscle weakness in their hands and arms cooking can be a challenge. Simple things like lifting a plate of food or a pot with water in it can be a real challenge. And if they drop food or dishes cleaning up the mess can be a separate challenge. But a home care provider can make sure that your senior loved one is getting the nutritious meals that they need to stay healthy. In-home care can cook meals, chop vegetables, make sauces, and prep snacks that your senior loved one can easily eat on their own. They can also do all the cleanup and wash the dishes.
Personal Care
Personal care tasks like washing up, washing hair, showering, brushing teeth, or showering can be difficult for seniors who have ALS. So can putting on clothes and shoes, buttoning up pants or shirts, and putting on sweaters or jackets. But in-home care includes personal care that will make your senior loved one feel better and help them stay healthy at home. In-home care can help your seniors feel good about themselves without the awkwardness of having to ask you or your siblings for help.
Household Chores
Staying safe at home means having a clean and safe home to live in. But seniors with ALS often don’t have the strength in their hands and feet to do household tasks. In-home care can help out by completing tasks like dusting, vacuuming, doing the laundry, mopping, and other chores. Your senior loved one deserves to have a clean and safe home and a care giver can help keep your senior loved one’s home that way.
Sources:
https://www.cherishedagency.com/blog/support-als-diagnosis
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als
https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis.asp
If you are considering in-home care in Summerlin, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.