Can Personal Care at Home Help With Alzheimer’s Disease?
Around 6.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a brutal disease for both the patient and their family caregivers. As it progresses, it can be impossible to provide the care your mom needs. Have you looked into the benefits of hiring personal care attendants for Alzheimer’s care?
Help With Toileting
Personal Care at Home Arlington, VA: Personal Care and Alzheimer’s Disease
As cognitive function declines, several things happen. First, your mom may not remember how to get to the bathroom. Accidents happen if she waits until the point where she cannot hold it much longer. Second, she may not realize her body’s cues that she needs to go to the bathroom.
She needs someone to constantly remind her when it’s time to use the toilet. She’ll need a caregiver to pay attention to the timing and frequency that matches her needs. This can be a lot for a busy family caregiver. Hire personal care at home for toileting to lessen the chance of accidents.
If she reaches the point where she needs to wear incontinence pads or briefs, which is common in the late stages, she has a care attendant to help her change them and clean up before new protective pads or garments are put in place.
Help With Feeding
A point comes where your mom has to have finger foods. Manipulating spoons and forks is too hard as motor skills diminish. Eventually, even finger foods are too hard to manage. At that point, she needs someone able to feed her softer foods that she can swallow without needing to chew too much.
After she’s eaten her meal, her caregiver needs to clean her hands and face. Personal care at home attendants help with feeding her and clean-up tasks after she’s done.
Help With Bathing and Grooming
Your mom cannot take a shower on her own anymore. She won’t be able to stand up and wash her body or hair. She won’t be able to comb or brush her hair, shave her legs or armpits, or apply lotion. Personal care attendants can help her with showering and hygiene.
Her caregivers can help her brush and floss her teeth. They can trim her nails. When she’s ready to get dressed, she’ll have someone there to help choose the right outfits for the weather and to get into her pants and shirts correctly.
Help With Transferring
When your mom reaches the point where she no longer walks on her own, she needs help with transferring from her bed to a wheelchair. She’ll need someone able to help her move from her wheelchair to the shower and back.
Because she’s in a wheelchair, she needs someone experienced in moving her position to avoid pressure sores. This can be new to family caregivers. Don’t become overly stressed about doing everything wrong. Hire personal care attendants to help out.
Call an agency and ask to speak to a specialist. As you learn more about the services and schedules, book personal care at home services for your mom.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Personal Care at Home in Arlington, VA please contact the caring staff at Butters Home Health Care today. (703) 371-2113
Sources:
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures