Remaining at Home with Alzheimer's Disease – Is It Possible?
While there’s no way to predict the exact impact Alzheimers has on any individual, it’s certainly typical that most early stage and mid-stage Alzheimers patients remain safely at home. Even late-stage Alzheimers can be managed properly at home under the right circumstances.
With assistance from trained caregivers, such as those trained by AAging Better's registered nurses (RNs), patients and their families can rest assured the client will have all their activities of daily living met so that they can remain safely and comfortably at home.
In addition to the general tasks of cleaning, making meals, doing laundry or running errands, caregivers can incorporate fun and interesting activities on a routine basis that help increase a client's sense of stability. With confusion being one of the hallmarks of Alzheimers, maintaing a stable and familiar environment at home is one of the most critical elements involved in keeping Alzheimers patients functioning and otherwise healthy. We find this works best by setting up and then drawing the person into the activity, rather than asking if the person would like to engage in a particular activity. Making a choice between things is not always an easy function for an Alzheimers patient and by drawing them into an activity rather than presenting them with the choice of doing it, has proven to work much more effectively at keeping the Alzheimers client stable and on an even keel.
Some recommended activities for caregivers and Alzheimers patients include:
Taking walks
Chair exercises
Stretching
Listening to the person's favorite music
Looking through old photos
Watching TV or movies
Having a tea party with friends or relatives
Playing cards or board games
Planting and tending an indoor garden
Pet therapy
Playing “I Spy”
If you are faced with a new diagnosis of Alzheimers or your loved one already has the diagnosis, we welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your or your family member's particular needs, and to encourage and support you or your family member in the journey through Alzheimers disease.
Call us Toll Free at 866-464-2344 any time or call us at one of our local numbers listed here on our website. An complimentary visit will be set up with one of our RNs to come out to the home and talk with you or your loved one about what we can do to make this journey safe and effective while remaining comfortably
at home for as long as possible. Alzheimers does not need to be faced alone.
