Dealing with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is difficult for the entire family. It changes your elderly family member’s entire personality in the middle and later stages, and you can feel as if you’ve lost the person that you love well before she is truly gone. Understanding the differences between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can be an important part of coping with your senior’s new normal. It can also help you to find solutions that make caring for her easier. Memory care can also help you adapt to your senior’s changing needs and step in when you need a break from caregiving.
Dementia Describes a Combination of Symptoms
Dementia is often talked about as one specific illness but it’s more accurate to call it an umbrella description of a variety of cognitive and neurological symptoms. Dementia is often characterized by memory difficulties, communication trouble, problems with reasoning and solving problems, and trouble planning and organizing. Confusion and disorientation are also common factors in dementia. Dementia most often has an underlying cause and finding that cause and treating it can reverse the symptoms of dementia.
Alzheimer’s Disease Is a Type of Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is a specific condition under the umbrella of dementia. The brain shrinks in Alzheimer’s disease and brain cells die off. There’s a progressive decline in behavior and cognition with Alzheimer’s disease that affects functional abilities from the very start. The disease, as with most dementia-related conditions, is progressive and there isn’t a cure at this time.
Both Conditions Bring Complications for Your Senior and You
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can be treated, to an extent, and the conditions can be slowed. Different therapies can help your elderly family member to continue to have a high quality of life, even as her illness progresses further. Medications can help with symptom management, including behavioral changes. Both can also bring some challenges, like an urge to wander and changes in her sleep patterns, that can make your senior’s days much more difficult.
Memory Care Can Do a Lot for Your Senior
One way to help both you and your elderly family member to have better days is to take advantage of memory care at adult day care. This type of care ensures that your senior is assisted by staff and nurses who are familiar with her unique needs as someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. There are plenty of different activities that can stimulate her brain and help her to socialize with others. She can also have help with personal hygiene, eat healthy meals each day, and spend time outside. Whatever she wants to try, you know that she’s got the support that she needs to be safe and to enjoy her time. This can offer a supportive routine for your elderly family member, which can also be tremendously helpful for someone with a cognitive illness.
Finding ways to help an elderly family member deal with any form of dementia can feel so complicated. Having experienced assistance on a consistent basis helps both you and your elderly family member to feel supported and understood. And knowing that your senior has a safe and secure place to spend time makes a huge difference, too.
Oxnard Family Circle: Safe, Reliable, Social and Fun!
If you need respite and/or help with caring for your loved one in any corner of Ventura County, CA (Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Camarillo, etc.), talk to the caring staff at Oxnard Family Circle, Inc. today. 1-805-385-4180
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