According to a recent study, five million people in the USA have Alzheimer’s. For those who do not know what Alzheimer’s is, it is a condition that damages the central organ of the human’s nervous system, i.e., the brain and hampers its normal functioning. Due to this, the patient loses his ability to think and react normally. It also restricts the person to perform the regular activities which the healthy people do with ease in their daily lives.
To help such patients, generally, the family members come forward and take their responsibility. But the lack of training and experience makes them incapable of dealing with frustration, anger, and other emotions of the patient.
In all such cases, the family members of these patients have to appoint the highly trained caregiver to take care of them all day. There are many health care agencies that provide qualified caregivers who manage patients with affection. They study the patient carefully, understand their needs, deal with their mood swings and help them in their daily activities. But sometimes these trained fellows also require some help.
There are a few tips that every caregiver and health professional must know to help the patients. Have a look at them!
1. Educate Yourself About The Diseases
Many people do not know what Alzheimer’s or dementia is. So, when their loved one starts showing the symptoms of such conditions, they do nothing but ignore them. They take the situation casually which worsens the health of the patient.
Everyone must pay attention to their elder family members and take their health seriously. Also, take them for the health checkup frequently for longer life. There are several conditions that lead to major infections in the absence of immediate medical facilities and treatments. Also, try and spread the information about this disease to more and more people to keep them aware as well.
2. Make The Doctor Review The Patient’s Medications
The patients cannot recover from such diseases. So, the doctor prescribes the drugs to the them to improve his condition. But, many times, too many medicines can cause memory loss and disorientation.
Also, many times the doctors forget to stop a few pills. You can prevent this unintentional move by creating a list of the medicines that the patient is taking. Show this list to the doctor and ask if he wants to remove any from the list. This list must contain all the supplements including the vitamins, which can have side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to get the list of medicines updated from time to time.
3. Do Not Get Upset With Their Behavior
The family, friends, and caregiver of the patients must not forget that the patient is suffering badly. There can be changes in his personality. Alzheimer’s can upset him and make him angry over small issues. Therefore, whatever he says and does is all due to the psychological changes in him. It is tough for him because many of the times he may seem lost or confused. Therefore, do not make the situation worse by fighting or arguing with him.
4. It Is Stressful And Exhaustive
Providing care to such patients is a tough task. The caregiver often gets exhausted and stressed. They also need help to deal with their issues. If you are one of them, make sure that you spend ample time with yourself and your family. You must take out time from your busy schedule to do what you love to.
You can figure out the activities that you can do for yourself. For instance, there are many support therapy groups to comfort the people dealing with similar problems. It will give you the feeling that it is just not you who has issues.
5. Switch To The Validation Therapy
The Alzheimer’s patient believes in his version of reality. For instance, he may want to talk to his wife who is dead or want to pick up his children from school who are grown-up. In all these situations, do not try to teach him the reality. It will confuse him. He may have anxiety and anger issues in such cases.
The trained caregivers use validation therapy here. According to this therapy, do not tell him the truth, talk to him about what he believes in. The patients will be comfortable in sharing the thoughts which will make them happy for sure.
These tips will surely help all the caregivers so that they can provide proper health care and comfort to the patient suffering from Alzheimer’s.
