Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's
Advice For Families
Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's
Providing care to persons with Alzheimer's can be particularly difficult; the disease can manifest a wide range of challenging or disruptive behaviors, including aggression, agitation, eating problems, delusions, excessive worry, wandering, and withdrawal.
Dealing with the behavior problems on a day-to-day basis can be very challenging. The caregiver must have patience, often handling the individual in the same manner as that of a child. Instructions need to be extremely clear and detailed, and often need repeating many times. When the person becomes upset or hostile, there is no point in trying to reason with him or her; rather the caregiver can refocus the situation on something else.
At the same time, the person with Alzheimer's is an adult and should be encouraged to be independent to the extent possible. Often, caregivers become overwhelmed with the physical and emotional toll and the need to provide constant supervision. There may come a point when there is a need for more personal care and supervision than the family can provide. When this occurs it may be time to consider a nursing facility, assisted living residence or other supportive program.
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