- Helping dementia patients is challenging, but doable, with the right help…
Currently roughly 55 million people around the globe live with dementia. According to the research of World Health Organization dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease, is considered to be one of the leading causes of disability for the majority of the world’s elderly population. Hence, the demand for nurses with the training, skills, experience, and sensitivity to care for dementia patients has never been greater.
Additionally, in recent research it has been proven that many caregivers take way too many responsibilities when looking after patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, therefore, in order to find competent caregivers and esteemed Alzheimer’s care services, where medical staff have worked with the most difficult cases and can provide necessary help one must make painstaking research. Consider practical tips from this article which will help you to find a service which can manage work with hard cases effectively.
The Alzheimer’s caregiver challenges
By the research of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) approximately 15 million of unpaid family caregivers in the USA care for loved ones with the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Undoubtedly, it takes an emotional, financial and physical toll yet it barely alleviates the caregiver burden. Recently, in a study researchers examined that caregivers struggle with aggressive behaviors of parents and senior patients because of previous unfortunate experiences. From this research, it was found that the most challenging Alzheimer’s behaviors were:
- Agitation and aggression
- Repetitive speech or actions
- Restless wandering
- Incontinence or constipation
- Confusion
- Sleeplessness
- Refusal to eat
- Paranoia
- Refusal to take medicine
- Hallucinations
- Refusal to bathe
- Choking on food or liquids
After the research has been done and the data has been collected respondents were able to identify big personal Alzheimer’s caregiver challenges. They were as follow:
- Tackling memory loss
- Handling the stress and emotional toll on self
- Having patience with your loved one
- Handling loved one’s mood swings or behavior changes
- Daily activities
- Keeping loved one positive and motivated
- Bills, finances, health insurance
- Managing and administering medications
- Speaking with loved one’s health care providers
- Scheduling appointments and time management
Key questions to ask a potential in-home care agency
Seeking for the right in-home care company is crucial and overwhelming. Even though it may look easy in the 21th century with open access to the Internet, it is still tricky with a plethora of details which are not easily obvious.
When narrowed down to correct questions the research will be effective in making the final decision. Below you may find the essential questions:
1. Is your home care agency licensed? – It can vary within states, yet being aware of agency rules is a must. You can double check this information at the state government’s health department website.
2. Are your caregivers insured? – Not only must caregivers be insured, but they also have to complete a thorough background check. Mainly, all caregivers must be screened, insured, and have essential background checks done for protection of clients. On top of everything some agencies or companies certify if a potential caregiver has a general negative employment history across the country.
3. What kind of training and education do your caregivers have and provide? – Regarding background education, caregivers must be ready to handle any kind of situation and client. Hence, you or your relative should not be skeptical of turning to them with a critical case. The agency will easily assign the caregiver for any personal situation. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care service from Galaxy Home Care will provide their clients with independence and safety, support and person-centered approach.
4. Is there a chance of replacement in case of dissatisfaction with a caregiver? – Every now and then, some are not satisfied with the service or work done. Therefore, checking if you have an option to replace your caregiver is mandatory because some places will decline such a request.
Possible ways to alleviate the Alzheimer’s caregiver burden
Frequently, Alzheimer’s caregivers report experiencing high levels of stress and mental pressure. Unquestionably, it can be intense and extreme to take care of a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s, and after all too much stress is harmful for everyone involved in the situation.
Understanding the behavioral challenges when facing and working with Alzheimer’s disease is the first step for health care providers to lessen the burden. For medical professionals it is recommended to have regular assessments of the Alzheimer’s caregiver’s emotional health, join counseling which can help in coping with more difficult aspects of caregiving. In addition, getting education in behavioral studies or working with certain educational resources is highly necessary in such a position.
There are obvious caregiver stress signs, understanding of which can improve the work with hard cases:
1. Denial and anger are the most controversial because they come from different places in life and cause much frustration with some difficult cases and even professionalism will not change the situation to any bits. If it is the relative who watched over the patient then the odds that they can cope with these emotions on their own is less probable. Thus, hiring professional help and living them to it will create a more welcoming environment for the patient, medical staff as well as family members.
2. Exhaustion and sleeplessness are nearly impossible to avoid when taking care of the person who suffers from dementia. Having a caregiver even for the half of the day or some full days a week may ease the situation a tad.
3. Social withdrawal is the worst for all three parties, patient, family member, caregiver. Being deprived of some social interactions, even the simple ones, will definitely take its toll not only on the healthy human being but even on the patients who are already suffering from a debilitating disease. It is the worst scenario for the patient because they comprehend with time that the familiar situation changes unnaturally, and since it is hard for them to put it together, they simply get lost and confused and fade. For the latter two it may end up transforming into a lack of concentration which makes it impossible to perform ordinary tasks.
All in all, taking into account these basic signs of burnout can minimize the number of challenges and create less stressful aging and life for Alzheimer’s patients and their relatives.
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