Things to Know About Living With Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects your thinking, memory, and behaviour. Alzheimer’s can grow so serious that it may affect your everyday tasks as well. 

There are some things you must know about this disease if you are recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Dementia. This article is for those living with Alzheimer’s Disease or who have recently discovered it. 

If you want to know how to cope with your health while living with Alzheimer’s Dementia, keep reading this article until the end. 

Some of the significant changes people with Alzheimer’s disease will experience are- 

• Frequent mood swings
• Unable to recognize faces 
• Forgetting names 
• Lacking interest in self-care 
• Unable to understand another person’s language
• Unable to read written language 
• Behavioural changes

How To Take Care Of A Person Suffering From Alzheimer’s Disease? 

It is quite heart wrenching to see your close ones suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. You will have to adapt to their behavioural changes where they won’t be able to remember your name or recognize your face. 

Moreover, they will have frequent mood swings and behave unusually. Your patience is key in such situations. Although things might sometimes seem a bit frustrating, you have to remember that the person is your close one and has been going through an unfortunate phase. 

First and foremost you have to remember that your behaviour towards the ill person should always be polite. It should not cause further confusion. Below are some tips on how you can take care of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease- 

• Be patient and calm. You should not make them more stressed with your behaviour. Even if he/she gets angry or frustrated, don’t respond in a harsh tone. 
• Allow fewer visitors near the person. An individual with Alzheimer’s disease is already going through memory loss. Seeing new faces every day may make them more stressed and confused. 
• Always make them comfortable around you. Let them feel their importance in your life. 
• Alzheimer’s patients forget things due to which they can make mistakes. But you should not keep on reminding them of their mistakes. They may ask you the same question several times; hence you must have patience all the time. 
• You will have to assist them with all personal care/ hygiene related issues. 
• As the symptoms grow even stronger, the caretaker may often feel frustrated. But you have to educate yourself about all symptoms regarding Alzheimer’s and act with maturity. 
• Try to engage the patient with conversations. They might not want to express their feelings or participate in conversations, but it’s your duty to make them comfortable doing so. 
• In the end, you have to remember that it is still the same person it was before the diagnosis. Hence, keep the same respect and love. 

Other than taking care of the patient, Alzheimer’s can become extremely tiring for the caretakers as well. Therefore, here are some things caretakers should know while assisting an Alzheimer’s patient- 

• Taking care of the patient all the time may get very tiring. So, it’s essential that you take some time off for yourself. Do some relaxing activity be it watching a movie, playing some game or cooking. It’s important to consider your mental health too. 
• It would be extremely helpful if your other family members came forward to take care of the patient. Managing everything alone can be daunting at times. Hence, having someone near to assist with the duties will make your job a lot easier. 
• You can join support groups where caretakers of Alzheimer’s disease will share their experience and how they go about the treatment. You can learn a lot from these support groups. Joining a support group will make you feel less lonely as you interact with people going through the same page. 

Wrapping Up 

Dealing with Alzheimer’s is stressful both for the patient and caretakers. Seeing your loved one unable to recognize the familiar surroundings can be painful, but you can deal with the situation with patience. 

Hopefully, the information we shared was helpful, and you could find a new perspective on living with Alzheimer’s.