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Providing a Safe Home Environment for Alzheimer's Patients

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When caring for someone afflicted with Alzheimer's disease in a home setting, caregivers must take a critical look at the living environment. Adapting the home to prevent accidents and ensure optimal safety for your loved is paramount.

It is sometimes necessary for a caregiver to place himself or herself in the position of the person suffering from Alzheimer's to help anticipate possible concerns or dangers. Learn to continually adapt both the living environment and approaches to care as the stages of Alzheimer's progress.

Caregivers will find that such approaches will be dependent upon the person for whom care is being provided. The most important aspect of caregiving in a home is safety and security, for both the patient and the caregiver.

In the long run, adapting the home environment is much easier than trying to adapt behaviors that may be exhibited by a loved one in various stages of the condition. Making necessary changes within the home environment may not only decrease physical hazards, but also reduce the amount of stress that is placed upon both the caregiver and the care receiver. Minimizing risks and making a home safe for those suffering a steady decline in both cognitive and physical disabilities is also a major step toward ensuring security and protection of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's as well as providing safe environment for all those involved in care. Anticipating such risks and hazards goes a long way toward helping caregivers prevent potential injuries and accidents.

 
 
 

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  •  Comments 1 to 4 of 4 
 
 

rskirk55

Give a Hug

Feb 6, 2008

No one wants to ever go to a nursing home. I support the philosophy of aging in place, but understand personally how difficult it is in these days of the sandwich generation. I am the "meat" in a family sandwich as well. Your tips are timely, but I suggest that caregivers make sure they have ready access to pertinent personal medical information and have created an "emergency call" network and plan for when things go wrong and they will. Steve Kirk blogs on the elderly, relatives and caregivers at www.theperfectsense.com.

 
 

medicalman

Give a Hug

Jan 5, 2009

I am a professional care giver, a CNA to be exact. My input here is simple about care factors for our seniors who suffer from this unfortunate medical condition. I am very well trained in this type of care from a LTC and home care prospective. Always provide a well loved surrounding with soft touches and kind words to relieve the anxiety the loved suffers from these conditions which aids in the ability to calm and sooth their fears. Remember that these conditions cause change in many ways and the afflicted person with this condition(s) can not reason as before and understand the problems. This aids the care giver in a more attractive way to the person afflicted to be able to feel safe and more willing to comply with you to keep them safe, especially in the later stages where the reasoning and judgements factors are impaired for good. Soft voices calm the soul. It is some what easy to become over whelmed especially as a family member care giver because it is difficult to accept our loved ones are suffering from these things, but it is effective and makes the day brighter for both the care giver and care reciever. Safety is very very important as specified in this segment. So in addition to all these factors how you handle situations in additions to all the other safety suggestions only makes it that much more safer for every one. Also keeping our loved ones under the Doctors eye closely helps very much so that the appropriate care can be discussed and proper medications if appropriate is provided ta aid in the care. Self education and classes to train in the appropriate manner for care providing is essential. I see alot of times families can not handle the problem or want to take the fullest advantage of the resources available to learn and become quality care providers to the fullest because they do not want to or feel thet already know the answers and some times are to scared to learn what this really about, accepting what is happening and continues to see mom or dad as they always was and the truth is that they are now different in mind set beyond thier control. So learning is effective about these issues and can relieve alot of stress all the way around!

 
 

bevruno

Give a Hug

Sep 17, 2011

It is now Sept. and every month werecieve a letter that says We are still reviewing your case. I have been taking care of im for over 2 years. I gave the other caregiver of a WWII Vet a STAR. Great work!!

 
 

rosario1

Give a Hug

Sep 25, 2011

chi ha un parente/paziente affetto dal morbo di alzheimer, scopre a proprie spese che sono persone che devono imparare a documentarsi perché devono abituarsi a cavarsela da soli.
E' uno strazio. Giorno dopo giorno, mese dopo mese, alla fine la malattia vince su tutti, malati e parenti.
Nessuno ha ancora una risposta certa sulla cura. E tutti i medicinali che amorevolmente diamo ai nostri congiunti, alla fine non servono proprio a nulla perché il decorso e l'epilogo è sempre lo stesso.
Siamo alla continua ricerca di attrezzature che ci consentano di aiutarci ad aiutare loro. Dall'ASL nessuno ti chiama per sapere come stiano evolvendo le cose, per consigliarti sulle attrezzature che possono concederti per alleviare il paziente e il familiare.
Mentre da soli combattiamo contro un mostro che non risparmia il sordo silenzio delle ASL suona come un abbandono. Con meno di 500 euro ha lasciato che questa guerra la combattiamo da soli, pur sapendo che alla fine tutti perderemo.
rosario da catania

 
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