Old age brings with itself, a lot of maturity and some really important lessons of life. However, there is a harsh reality attached to it also brings in diseases like dementia and Alzheimer and also Parkinson’s disease, which has a devastating effect on the health of the elderly. Therefore, it is necessary to know about such illness because at the end of life it is quite hard for these the older adults to handle such complex diseases.
Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease is related to memory loss and can be a big challenge for the caregivers. People suffering from these diseases suffer a lot of problems. For example, the can forget to take important medicines, or they may take an overdose of a particular drug that can be a threat to their life.
While homecare companies can provide efficient caregivers who are trained to take care of such patients, it can be a tough task for them. There have been cases where the seniors fail to recognize persons who they meet on a daily basis.
Often in such cases, doctors have to prescribe the drugs that would keep the seniors asleep for long hours so that their brain gets ample rest. Patients are suffering from such diseases often require a companion all the time who can support them in activities like visiting the doctor’s, personal shopping and traveling. These attendants help the patients in dressing, eating food and tracking their health.
Dementia or Memory loss occurs due to the degeneration of the brain cells. Memory becomes so weak that patients forget their way home, and at times the address of the same house where they had been living for years. In advanced dementia, people become incapable of communicating and hence cannot share their feelings or convey their pain to others.
Therefore, the assistance of the homecare service providers become crucial as it is required that someone should take care elders as a family member and notice their signs of discomfort and take action accordingly.
Questions to Ask
The question that you must ask the home care service provider are
- If the attendant is professionally trained to handle such critical illnesses.
- Will the caregiver be able to handle your seniors with utmost care and compassion?
- Do the caregivers understand the challenges that they will face while dealing with people suffering from dementia-like diseases?
4. Ask your doctor if there is a need for hospice services and if the idea is suitable according to the condition of your relative.