General Nursing©

Alzheimer's Disease

What you can do:

Caring at home for a person with Alzheimer's disease requires a tremendous amount of compassion, patience, and energy. Despite needing constant supervision, life should continue as normally as possible within the household.

Encourage the patient to help with daily routines, and try to spend some time each day talking about events that have occurred.

Talking at length about family, friends, and events can maintain the patient's awareness, lift mood, and retain mental ability for as long as possible. Even if there is no response, the patient may often be comforted just by hearing about these past events.

As the disease progresses, it may be necessary for the patient to move to a residential or nursing home. Family members of Alzheimer's disease patients should begin discussing matters such as advance directives, and power of attorney with the patient, especially in more advanced cases.

With help, the patient's suffering can be kept to a minimum and dignity and quality of life maintained.

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