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Tag: Dementia Care

What Are the Signs that it’s Time for Alzheimer’s Care?

Posted on by Craig Bass
Alzheimer's Care in Summerlin NV
Alzheimer’s Care in Summerlin NV

It’s estimated that 6.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number keeps increasing. Around three out of ten adults with Alzheimer’s are below the age of 75, so it’s common for their children to still be raising families and working full-time jobs. Your mom has Alzheimer’s disease, and you’re not sure what to do. You want to help her as much as you can, but you have a full-time job and aren’t close to retirement age. How do you know when it’s time for Alzheimer’s care for your mom? Here are a few signs to look for.

She Fails to Take Her Medications

Here’s one of the most alarming aspects of the disease. Your mom forgets to take her Alzheimer’s medications, vitamins, and antidepressants. Or, she takes them and doesn’t remember taking them, so she takes more. Soon, you find she’s taken four antidepressants in one day because she couldn’t remember.

Alzheimer’s care aides can keep her pills locked in a cabinet and get them out for her to take. If she tries to take more, they can redirect her and assure her she’s already taken them.

She Can’t Drive

When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the memory care team will recommend giving up the keys early on. You don’t want your mom driving around the city with no idea how to get back home.

When she has to stop driving, she doesn’t have to stop going out. She can have Alzheimer’s care services for transportation that accompany her to appointments and when running errands.

Your Mom is Wandering

You arrive to visit your mom and find she’s left her home. An hour passes and she’s not back, so you’re worried. You set off and find her wandering the streets. She didn’t recognize her home and had no idea how to get back. She needs someone with her 24/7 if she’s wandering.

Your Mom Forgets Food is Cooking

Your mom sets off her smoke detector because she forgot she’d started cooking scrambled eggs. When the smoke set off the alarms in her home, the eggs were on smoking. Thankfully, your brother was in the home and prevented a kitchen fire, but you worry about her doing this again.

She’s Becoming Incontinent

Often, people with Alzheimer’s lose track of simple things like when their bladder is full. They may not remember how to get to the bathroom in time. Incontinence is normal in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. It helps to have a caregiver to offer cues that your mom should go to the bathroom and help her get to the toilet and use it in time.

Once you know your mom’s care needs, talk to an expert in Alzheimer’s care. It’s not a disease that progresses the same with everyone. Some will slowly progress for years, while others seem to rush from one stage to the next. Pay attention to your mom’s abilities and arrange Alzheimer’s care as soon as you notice she’s struggling with self-care and housekeeping.

Sources:
https://www.alz.org/media/documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf

If you are considering Alzheimer’s care in Summerlin, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Understanding How In-Home Care Helps With MCI

Posted on by Craig Bass
In-Home Care in Henderson NV
In-Home Care in Henderson NV

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. If your dad has been diagnosed with MCI, you can take steps to help him age in place, like starting in-home care as soon as possible. Learn more about MCI and how it can impact your parent’s abilities now and in the future.

What Is MCI?

Upwards of 20% of adults 60 or older have MCI. It’s a condition where memory skills have gotten slightly worse than they should at that age. However, it’s not Alzheimer’s or dementia, and some people have MCI and never develop dementia. People who have had a stroke, diabetes, or depression are more at risk.

When you have MCI, you’re still able to complete activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Your memory isn’t that bad. Mainly, you might forget that you had an appointment. You might lose your keys and not recall the steps you took earlier that day.

Suppose your dad is at work and has been running the same machine for decades. He knows the steps to start the machine, run his product, change settings, and close the machine down at the night’s end. He starts forgetting the steps, and his boss issues multiple warnings.

That’s an example of MCI. He can still do his work, but he forgets steps along the way. It might be simple aging, but you worry that it’s the first sign of Alzheimer’s. It’s time to talk to an expert for guidance.

If you suspect your dad has MCI, you should take him to a doctor. It’s best to have his cognitive skills checked every six months to see if it’s progressing. If it does progress, the diagnosis shifts into dementia. Don’t let your dad stress too much about this. Only 10% to 20% of MCI cases progress to Alzheimer’s.

Talk About In-Home Care Now

What happens if it’s MCI, but there is suspicion it might be progressing? It’s important to stay calm. Your dad is likely scared, but you need to make sure he knows he has your support. Do this by coming up with a list of his goals for aging in place. See what he wants to happen.

Would he want to downsize or stay in his home? Does he want to have a family member move in, or would he feel that would intrude on his desire for privacy? Caregivers can stop by and offer the help he needs with housekeeping, meals, transportation, organization, personal care, etc.

In-home care services are ideally arranged before dementia worsens. In the latter stages of Alzheimer’s, your dad will not remember faces and names. Help him get acquainted with caregivers in the early stages.

By doing so, your dad has had time to adjust to having in-home care services. A familiar bond is formed with the caregivers that come to help out. Call an in-home care specialist to learn more.

Sources:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-mild-cognitive-impairment

 

If you are considering in-home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.