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Weigh All Options When Deciding on the Care of Loved Ones in Final Stages of Alzheimer's
from: Pat MoauroAlzheimer's is a cruel and unforgiving brain disease that damages one's ability to retain memories and to communicate with the rest of the body. It's a degenerative condition, meaning that it grows steadily worse with time. Unfortunately, no known cure or method of reversing the damage is available in its final stages.
While early stages of Alzheimer's seem like little more than the occasional memory lapse, a person in the final stages of Alzheimer's needs 24 hour care and constant monitoring. How do you handle an adult who has Alzheimer's disease? What sort of care facilities are available, to help a loved one who is in the final stages of this devastating disease? What can you do to help?
In helping a person with Alzheimer's disease, family members and caregivers need to be patient, caring and understanding. A diagnosis of this magnitude can be devastating, and patients are often frustrated, confused and afraid. Assure your loved ones that, no matter what, you'll be there for them. Discuss different options with the patient, letting her or him have a say in any decisions.
A person in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's disease has many options available to her or him, such as retirement housing, adult day services or in-home respite services. However, as the disease progresses and the Alzheimer's patient will need increasingly more help and supervision, the independent care facilities are no longer an option. By the final stages of Alzheimer's, they will require 24-hour care and constant supervision. By this point, the main question is whether you wish to care for your loved one at home, or if you believe that a nursing home can provide them with the best care at the moment.
This type of decision can be difficult on the patient and on their loved ones. They're feeling lost, frightened and confused. The Alzheimer's patient is already dealing with feelings of being abandoned and often suffering from anxiety, or lashing out with aggressive behavior. Sometimes this can make a wise decision difficult. The idea of having someone they love placed in a home can be unpleasant, but in some cases, this may well be the best option for them.
Nursing homes are needed when the patient requires 24-hour supervision or special care. Specially licensed and able to administer the proper medications as needed, some nursing homes even have specialized programs for those with dementia. As well, nursing homes have licensed professionals on staff and must submit to regular inspections, to insure patients are receiving suitable care.
Many feel guilty about leaving their loved ones in a nursing home and choose to keep the patient in the family home, where the patient is more familiar with her or his surroundings and cared for by their relatives. True, these are noble reasons, but again, one must always look at the big picture. Before taking such a step, think everything over carefully; are you truly able to stay with your loved one throughout the duration of this disease if it goes on for another 20 years? Are you willing to give up your career? What about your social life or taking trips? Can you put your life on hold for all that time?
For those who feel that they're capable of caring for an Alzheimer's patient, another form of help is available in hospice care. This is an option for any terminally ill patient, during their last six months of life or, as in the case of those suffering dementia, during the last stage of Alzheimer's disease. Experienced with medical equipment, meds, and often just talking and helping to alleviate stress, hospice care workers often help to tend for the ill person, handling the things that they can't do at home, such as bathing, administering certain medications, et cetera.
Whether you choose to have your loved one placed in the care of a nursing home or in your own home is a choice that you and they have to make, hopefully together. Take into consideration all avenues; cost, needs, programs, reliability and respectability. Once you've weighed your options and considered all routes, and it comes down to the final decision, follow your heart.
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