Helping Alzheimer's Patients Remain Home Longer

January is Alzheimer Awareness Month. According to the Alzheimer Society, over half a million Canadians have Alzheimer's or a related condition. That includes one of every twelve Canadian seniors. And with the aging of the baby boomers, the number of patients will continue to rise.

Most people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer's wish to remain at home as long as possible, and during the early and middle stages of the illness, more than half of all patients manage to do so, with the help and support of family caregivers. Remaining at home has many advantages. For a person with memory loss, moving to new surroundings and a new schedule can increase disorientation. Staying at home allows for greater freedom and a sense of autonomy. And relationships with family and friends are best preserved when the person is living at home.

So, unless the patient's condition becomes so medically complex that a care facility is the best option, most family caregivers would like to enable their loved one to remain at home. But there are many challenges. The person with Alzheimer's may develop difficult behaviors, such as delusions, wandering, sleep disturbances and incontinence. It's no wonder that a popular book about caring for a person with dementia is titled The 36 Hour Day.

As a result, family caregivers often experience caregiver burnout, health risks, depression, and a negative impact on work and family relationships. It is very important to find support from family, friends and the community! And for many Alzheimer's caregivers, at home senior care is a valuable option to consider.

Home Care Helps Patients and Family

For the patient, a home care provider who is expert in and understands the special issues of dementia care can:

• Provide solutions to minimize the stresses that aggravate symptoms
• Supervise the person's overall care on a regular basis
• Help the patient with meals, dressing, bathing and other basic activities of daily living.

The services of a professional Alzheimer's home care provider can not only enhance the well-being of the patient, but also support family caregivers with:

• Respite time: a break from caregiving for accomplishing needed tasks and enjoying leisure activities
• Relief from worrying about their loved one's well-being
• Help with difficult physical care tasks
• Confidence resulting from an extra—and expert—pair of hands.

With support from home care services, family caregivers can go about their own routines in a more relaxed, focused fashion. They report experiencing greater patience with their loved one. And they say that when the home care provider performs much of the practical hands-on work, family and patient alike are freed to focus on themselves in their relationship, as members of a unique, loving family, meeting challenges together.

Learn More

See the website of The Alzheimer Society to learn more about Alzheimer Awareness Month and to find information and resources for people with dementia and their family caregivers.

The Alzheimer Society also emphasizes that early detection of Alzheimer's is very important to ensure the best possible quality of life. See the September 2009 issue of Choices to learn more about recent advances in diagnosing the disease.