{"id":4443,"date":"2025-05-15T02:51:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T07:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/?p=4443"},"modified":"2025-03-06T13:57:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:57:16","slug":"what-are-the-important-decisions-in-elder-care-when-dementia-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/what-are-the-important-decisions-in-elder-care-when-dementia-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the Important Decisions in Elder Care When Dementia Strikes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elder Care When Dementia Strikes<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated there are 24 million individuals living with some form of dementia worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

This number is expected to increase to as many as 85 million by the year 2040 if there is no medical breakthrough for age-related memory loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common and well-known form of dementia with more than 5 million Americans suffering from age-related memory loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S.\u2014approximately 13% of Americans 65 and older have Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and half or more of individuals 85 and older will develop Alzheimer\u2019s or similar forms of dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two contributing factors to dementia are aging and genetics, and neither can be controlled.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best approach to proactive brain health is a healthy lifestyle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many family caregivers who provide care and support for parents, spouses, and loved ones suffering from dementia face challenges due to this progressive and debilitating disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

In many cases, the loved one receiving care may not acknowledge or appreciate the care and become confused, angry, and abusive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Care providers often have a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that their loved ones eventually may not recognize them or their families.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research shows that caregivers of family members and loved ones with dementia are under a lot of stress because of:<\/span><\/p>\n

– The long-term period of care required to care for dementia patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Cognitive and behavioral problems associated with Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other forms of dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Severity of patient impairment at the end stages of dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The challenge of providing care for a loved one can become overwhelming and family caregivers experience frustration, stress, anger, and sometimes depression.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can be difficult to balance elder caregiving with everything going on in life, including caring for children, spending time with your spouse, and personal time.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that caregivers of dementia patients carefully consider their ability to deal with the challenges they face caring for their loved ones and seek assistance if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have a conversation with your loved one to understand his or her wishes before making any care decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

To provide your loved one, relative, or parent suffering from dementia proper care:<\/span><\/p>\n

Take the time to read up on the disease, how it affects people, and learn how it progresses over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The more you understand the disease, the more patience, and understanding you\u2019ll have of your loved one\u2019s medical condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t correct your loved one \u2013 ask them simple questions even regarding their false or strange statements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both you and your relative will experience less frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Encourage your loved one to be as independent as possible, but step in when necessary so safety and well-being are not compromised.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t hesitate to seek elder care support.<\/span><\/p>\n

In many cases, you may find yourself running errands, doing shopping, taking your loved one to doctor’s appointments, cleaning the house, and preparing meals as opposed to actually spending quality time with him or her.<\/span><\/p>\n

A professional caregiver or elder care provider can take care of everyday tasks and assist your loved one with activities of daily living when necessary so you can enjoy quality time with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your elder care provider can also strategize with you how to make your loved one the most comfortable and encourage patient comfort and reduce agitation or anxiety.<\/span><\/p>\n

This includes street noise, other loud noises, and other environmental distractions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Experienced elder care providers are available 24 hours a day to allow elderly individuals to remain in their own home, provide help for you, and improve the quality of their lives with joyful companionship, meal preparation, diet monitoring services, errands, and shopping, and many other services.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elder Care When Dementia Strikes It\u2019s estimated there are 24 million individuals living with some form of dementia worldwide. This number is expected to increase…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"What are the Important Decisions in Elder Care When Dementia Strikes? - Alzheimer's and Dementia","description":"Elder Care When Dementia Strikes It\u2019s estimated there are 24 million individuals living with some form of dementia worldwide. This number is expected to increas"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alzheimers-and-dmenetia","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4443\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/alzheimers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}