Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s could drain the carer physically, emotionally and financially. For families to effectively care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, they should be able to take on the demands and challenges of having to care for the person day in and day out. There are families who hire a carer to assume the responsibilities of caregiving when the need arises. American Healthcare Services, Inc. is a home health services in Broadway Seattle Washington which provide home care assistance for persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Having worked with numerous health care professionals specialized in the care of persons with such disease, allow us to share with you the seven (7) tips to assisting a person with Alzheimer’s disease:
Make use of certain communication techniques in conversations.
Always make sure to avoid confusing and vague expressions during conversations so that they can easily be interpreted. For your every sentences, stress words you think are important. Do not rely on spoken words alone, make use of facial expressions and hand gestures as these will help the person catch on quickly. Lastly, speak slowly to them and only ask one question at a time.
Make eye contact with them always.
Let them actually see you when you are speaking with them. Always be at their level – kneel or sit down when they are on their seats to make your head the same level as their head. Through this method, the person feels more comfortable speaking with you.
Come up with activities that improve the person’s well-being.
Come up with an itinerary every day to save you time from thinking about which things to do. Make sure to include activities that will involve the participation of the rest of the family. Care and attention from family members actually make a person with Alzheimer’s feel better and loved.
Deal with aggressiveness in an ideal way.
A person with Alzheimer’s will show numerous changes in behaviour every now and then. These sudden outbursts may not be avoided but there are ways to lessen the intensity of the aggression. First thing to do is to check if the cause of the aggression – is it because of pain, the surroundings or a medical concern. Knowing the source will give you the chance to eliminate the cause. Refrain from reacting in a negative way – like shouting, using force, or showing negative facial expressions.
Make sure the entire house is a safety zone.
Check every nook and corner of the house. Make sure there aren’t any obstacles that might be the cause for accidents. Most importantly, limit the access to potentially dangerous chemicals and substances as the person might mistake them for something else.
Be more attuned with their emotions.
Always validate their feelings. Never assume that you know what they are feeling at all times. Try putting yourself in their shoes too. Most of the time, you will know what to do in certain situations when you place yourself in their situation.
Never correct the person nor argue with them.
Correcting them may make them feel embarrassed. If they do make mistakes, do not shove it in their face. Come up with a subtler way of letting them know that they did something wrong. Do not argue with them too. You will never win! Arguing with them will make them be more aggressive too. And that is one thing we want to avoid.
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is a very difficult task. But if you do wish to have someone assist you in caring for him or her, then call us, American Healthcare Services, Inc., today! We are a home health services in Broadway Seattle Washington and we guarantee you excellent services at affordable and reasonable prices.
Contact American Healthcare Services, Inc., a home health services in Broadway Seattle Washington by calling at 1-800-839-1095 or emailing at americanhcs@gmail.com. You can also visit our website at www.amhomehealth.net.
