Alzheimer's Care - Alzheimer's Or Aging? Signs of Alzheimer's!!!

Alzheimer’s Care

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimers disease is difficult at best. As the condition progresses, it is possible that outside help might be needed. When a loved one's symptoms are overwhelming, it might be time to consider an Alzheimers care facility.

The signs that it might be time to look into full-time care, include:

  • Advanced loss of memory. Even if a person can partially care for themselves, if the memory loss is go great that family members are uncomfortable giving care, it is time to seek help.
  • Loss of cognitive function. Beyond the memory loss, Alzheimers can also strip a person of their ability to handle everyday activities. From feeding themselves to bathing, it is possible and even quite likely a patient in the mid to advanced staged will lose the ability to care for themselves.
  • Violent outbursts. Not all Alzheimer’s patients have these, but they are possible. If they are present, the help of an Alzheimer’s care facility could be in order.
  • Burden is too much. Caring for an Alzheimer’s patient can be an around-the-clock job. There is no shame in admitting taking care of a parent or loved one is too difficult. In fact, sometimes enlisting help is better for everyone involved. It can be incredibly difficult for a family to watch the day-to-day decline of a loved one, especially if there are small children in the house.

There are some alternatives to an Alzheimer’s care facility, but they might not always be available. The options include visiting nurses, respite care and family members working in shifts to make sure the patient is supervised and cared for at all times. These options can be quite viable, but sometimes a care facility is simply the best choice.

Making the decision to go with an Alzheimer’s care facility can come with some advantages. They include:

  • Twenty-four hour care. These facilities tend to be manned by experts around the clock. This means loved ones never run the risk of being left unsupervised.
  • Skilled care. These facilities are generally staffed by professionals who are very skilled in working with Alzheimer’s patients. This means they understand the symptoms and how to handle them. Plus, they are not very likely to be offended by any off color remarks or other things that might hurt family members' feelings.
  • Lock down. Most of these facilities are run in a total lock down mode. This helps prevent patients from getting out and getting lost. This is a common occurrence for patients who are cared for within private homes.
  • Peace of mind. Family members who care for an Alzheimer patient spend lots of time worrying about whether they are doing things right. A facility can help ensure peace of mind is present.

Alzheimer’s care facility centers can offer the level of care that families might not be able to provide at home. Before choosing one, it is a good idea to do a little research, tour the availability facilities and find one that "feels" right.

Let's look at some of the myths that sometimes prevent the real Alzheimer’s disease information from getting out and thereby affect the patient and his whole family to take care of the patient.

  • Memory loss is normal. While it might be normal to become a little forgetful as we age, serious memory loss is not normal. Any severe loss of memory, such as that associated with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, is not normal under any circumstance.
  • Aluminum causes Alzheimer’s. The real Alzheimer’s disease information to be had out of this one is that there is no known cause for this condition. There are some potential links, but confirmation has not been made. In regard to aluminum specifically, studies have not been able to determine a real link between drinking out of cans and contracting Alzheimer’s. The flu shot rumor also doesn't seem to be true.
  • The condition is not fatal. This is a false piece of Alzheimer’s disease information. While it is more likely that other conditions will arise that can be fatal before the deterioration progresses to the parts of the brain that control major bodily functions, the disease is considered fatal in and of itself by many experts.
  • Diet sodas cause Alzheimer’s. This is another fallacy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been studying this claim since some scientists raises concerns about NutraSweet and Equal, but no connection has been found as of yet.
  • Alzheimer’s can be stopped in its progression. Sadly, this is not true. While there are some treatments that might slow the steady pace of progression, stopping it is not possible at this time. It might even be possible to stabilize a patient for a while, but no treatments have proven effective over the long haul.
  • Alzheimer’s disease information available to date doesn't provide a lot of answers for patients and their families that might be struggling to come to grips with a diagnosis. The reality is there is still much to learn about this condition and with how little is actually known, many myths seem to thrive.

    Patients and families with questions and concerns should seek medical advice. There are even some very good support groups for those impacted by this mysterious and devastating condition.

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