Showing Compassion for a Senior with Alzheimer’s Disease

By Susan Myer, RN, BSN, CCRN, CDP | April 21, 2016 | Comments Off on Showing Compassion for a Senior with Alzheimer’s Disease
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Home Care in Bernardsville NJ

Being in a home care relationship with a senior who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is a challenging experience. While you are creating your care plans, developing your network of support,Home-Care-in-Bernardsville-NJ and going about your care tasks, however, it is important to remember that this experience is not just challenging for you. Your elderly parent will also be dealing with their own emotions and issues, and it is important that you keep these in mind so that you can offer compassionate, nurturing care throughout their progression.

 

Use these tips to help you show compassion for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease:

  • Get input about care providers. An in home health care services provider can be a valuable resource for a journey with Alzheimer’s disease, but it is important to remember that not all care providers are the same. Show compassion for your parent by realizing that this is a person who you are entrusting with personal and direct care of your loved one. Ask your parent if they have specifications that they would like kept in consideration when selecting the care provider, such as whether they want a male or female. If they do not get along with the care provider, be willing to continue the search until you find one who they can trust and feel comfortable with.
  • Do not change your relationship. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that will make tremendous changes in your parent’s personality, cognitive functioning, and abilities over time. This does not mean, however, that you need to suddenly change how you treat them or how you act around them. If you have always had a playful, silly relationship, now is not the time to change that. Continue your relationship just as you always have, only changing aspects of it if your parent shows signs of discomfort or distress related to them.
  • Remember the person beyond the disease. In every decision that you make and activity that you do, remember that you are caring for a person, not just a disease. This means remembering the specific personal characteristics that made your parent an individual and continuing to address those in all of your care tasks. Preserve modesty, show respect, and encourage independence as much as possible.
  • Be your parent’s advocate. Many people have a variety of misconceptions about Alzheimer’s disease that can impact how they treat your elderly parent. Make sure that you remain first and foremost your parent’s advocate. This means not allowing a person to mistreat your parent simply because “they do not know what is happening” or “they are confused anyway.” People should always treat your parent with care, nurturing, respect, and dignity no matter how far in the progression they are or what the person thinks about people with this disease. This extends also to visits with your parent’s doctor. Be sure that the doctor addresses your parent and not you as much as possible, and directs their care toward your parent rather than giving you instructions or telling you what is happening. Always insist that your parent is given the highest quality of care that corresponds with the care goals that they expressed early in their care journey.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional home care in Bernardsville, NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

 

Susan Myer, RN, BSN, CCRN, CDP
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