Millions of families throughout the United States are dealing with Alzheimer's disease or some type of dementia. When a loved one has one of these conditions, they often are fearful, confused and depressed and sometimes angry. It can be very challenging to provide care for your loved one in this situation, and many families turn to a community for assisted living in San Diego that specializes in memory care. For those caring for a loved one at home, here are some strategies that might be helpful.
Obviously, when you have and form of dementia, it's quite common to feel very confused and also disoriented. If a person with dementia is placed in a stressful situation this makes it even hard to cope. Making life as easy as possible and avoiding crowds, large parties and situations with a great deal of noise can reduce stress. To make daily life a bit easier, post up a schedule so that your loved one always knows what to expect. Help your loved one by handling the paying of bills and household expenses and consider removing any clutter or extra furnishings to make the home easier to navigate and maintain. If you opt for assisted living in San Diego, you will find that the apartments are designed to reduce the stress of a person living with Alzheimer's or dementia.
While a person with dementia may no longer be able to work or handle stressful tasks, that doesn't mean they don't want to contribute to the family or the household. People want to be helpful, and there are plenty of important tasks that your loved one with dementia. Your loved one can help with dinner preparation, fold laundry, vacuum, dust, pulling weeds, raking leaves or grooming a pet. At a home for assisted living in San Diego, there will be daily activities such as sorting, art classes, games and more that can keep a person busy and engaged. Be sure to provide encouragement and to thank the person and express appreciation.
While it's true that losing memories can be very painful for the person with dementia and his or her loved ones, it's often the personality changes that are the hardest issues to handle. Sometimes people with Alzheimer's or another type of dementia are verbally abusive or even physically abusive to their caregivers and loved ones. When this occurs, it is best to try to either distract the person's attention or use a calm and soothing voice. This can be difficult, but if possible, keep in mind that it's truly not personal but rather a symptom of this disease. Still, often this is a big reason why you might consider assisted living in San Diego. The staff at a memory care facility is trained to deal with the difficult behavior common to some people with dementia.
For many families, the main reason why they choose assisted living in San Diego is because they are worried about safety. They worry that their loved one might wander away from home or perhaps fall and become hurt when no one is home. Memory care facilities aren't on lockdown of course, and residents can sometimes wander off, but the chances are much less likely simply because there are always staff members in the facility. If someone is hurt or becomes ill, a staff member quickly can summon help.
If you do need to start looking for an assisted living facility that specializes in memory care, it is best to visit several facilities. Try to find one where the residents and the staff seem happy. Find a facility that offers activities that you think would be of interest to your loved one. An eldercare placement service can build a list of suitable facilities for you and your loved one to consider. Moving into assisted living can be hard and scary, so be sure to bring some favorite mementos from home and perhaps a favorite chair or a few other familiar pieces of furniture to make the new apartment seem a bit more like home.
Obviously, when you have and form of dementia, it's quite common to feel very confused and also disoriented. If a person with dementia is placed in a stressful situation this makes it even hard to cope. Making life as easy as possible and avoiding crowds, large parties and situations with a great deal of noise can reduce stress. To make daily life a bit easier, post up a schedule so that your loved one always knows what to expect. Help your loved one by handling the paying of bills and household expenses and consider removing any clutter or extra furnishings to make the home easier to navigate and maintain. If you opt for assisted living in San Diego, you will find that the apartments are designed to reduce the stress of a person living with Alzheimer's or dementia.
While a person with dementia may no longer be able to work or handle stressful tasks, that doesn't mean they don't want to contribute to the family or the household. People want to be helpful, and there are plenty of important tasks that your loved one with dementia. Your loved one can help with dinner preparation, fold laundry, vacuum, dust, pulling weeds, raking leaves or grooming a pet. At a home for assisted living in San Diego, there will be daily activities such as sorting, art classes, games and more that can keep a person busy and engaged. Be sure to provide encouragement and to thank the person and express appreciation.
While it's true that losing memories can be very painful for the person with dementia and his or her loved ones, it's often the personality changes that are the hardest issues to handle. Sometimes people with Alzheimer's or another type of dementia are verbally abusive or even physically abusive to their caregivers and loved ones. When this occurs, it is best to try to either distract the person's attention or use a calm and soothing voice. This can be difficult, but if possible, keep in mind that it's truly not personal but rather a symptom of this disease. Still, often this is a big reason why you might consider assisted living in San Diego. The staff at a memory care facility is trained to deal with the difficult behavior common to some people with dementia.
For many families, the main reason why they choose assisted living in San Diego is because they are worried about safety. They worry that their loved one might wander away from home or perhaps fall and become hurt when no one is home. Memory care facilities aren't on lockdown of course, and residents can sometimes wander off, but the chances are much less likely simply because there are always staff members in the facility. If someone is hurt or becomes ill, a staff member quickly can summon help.
If you do need to start looking for an assisted living facility that specializes in memory care, it is best to visit several facilities. Try to find one where the residents and the staff seem happy. Find a facility that offers activities that you think would be of interest to your loved one. An eldercare placement service can build a list of suitable facilities for you and your loved one to consider. Moving into assisted living can be hard and scary, so be sure to bring some favorite mementos from home and perhaps a favorite chair or a few other familiar pieces of furniture to make the new apartment seem a bit more like home.
About the Author:
Rue Nichols enjoys reading home health care blogs. To get more information about assisted living facilities in San Diego or to find places to help with board and care Costa Mesa, please check out the Care Placement site today.
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