Alzheimer’s disease progresses differently in every person. You may know someone whose family member battled the disease for five years, but it’s been over ten years for your mom. When the disease progression is so varied, how do you best prepare for the middle stages? Here are a few things to consider when planning for Alzheimer’s home care for your mom.

Be Aware of Her Main Symptoms

Alzheimer’s symptoms may vary from one moment to the next. Many people in the middle stages experience depression and anxiety and some also experience paranoia and delusions. Your mom may not sleep well, which is hard on you as you need sleep.

Share your knowledge with her Alzheimer’s caregiver. If you know she only sleeps two hours a night and is usually ready for a nap at noon, share that information. If your mom is experiencing sundowning, her caregiver needs to be aware of the importance of having lights turned on in every room by a certain hour to avoid shadows.

The more planning you can do with a caregiver’s help, the easier it is to help your mom in the ways that she needs. She often fails to pay attention to her body’s cues that she needs a bathroom. If incontinence is happening, she needs reminders to go to the bathroom an hour or two after a meal or drink.

She’s going to need help remembering to take medications. It’s unlikely at this point that your mom can go for walks on her own, so you or a caregiver needs to be with her if she goes outside. Your mom can’t drive or run errands, so someone has to be available to shop for her, bring her to appointments, or pick up orders.

Don’t expect your mom to dress herself. Even if she can get dressed, her outfit choices will often fail to match the weather. It can be 90 degrees outside with high humidity and your mom wants to wear a fleece jacket and jeans. In the middle of the winter, she might put on yoga pants and a t-shirt. She needs guidance.

Introduce Your Mom to Her Caregiver Slowly

Your mom will be extremely hesitant when meeting new people. Don’t be surprised if she withdrawals and doesn’t want to be around anyone new. She might cling more to you until she’s a little more comfortable.

Remember that an Alzheimer’s care aide knows this is normal, so you’ll have the help of your mom’s caregiver during this transition. Make sure your mom is able to slowly adjust to having a
caregiver around. Don’t push her to interact. She’ll approach her caregiver when she’s ready.

The sooner you start arranging Alzheimer’s home care, the easier it is for your mom to adjust. Once the early stages of Alzheimer’s are finished, your mom may become agitated more easily. Grooming and hygiene are tougher. Arrange Alzheimer’s care to help support her changing needs.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-disease-stages

If you or an aging loved one is considering Alzheimer’s home care in Frisco, TX, please contact the caring staff at Clear Path Home Care today. Call 817-928-5788

Clear Path Home Care provides compassionate, high quality home care in Denton County, Montague County, Cooke County, Grayson County, Fannin County, Lamar County, Wise County, Collin County, Hunt County, Delta County, and Hopkins County in Texas.

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Clear Path Home Care Staff

Staff at Clear Path Home Care

Clear Path Home Care offers a unique Total Care Management system to optimize each client’s happiness and wellbeing utilizing our carefully vetted Senior Advisory team. We provide coordination between families and all aspects of elder care needs, which may include Home Health, Hospice, Physicians, Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, or Assisted Living Facilities. Personal care consists of help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, and transferring.

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