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Alzheimer’s Care-You Don’t Need to Do It Alone


Learning that an elderly loved one has Alzheimer’s can be heartbreaking. You might fear for all of the things you will lose along this journey which is oftentimes a long path to travel on, especially if you’re all alone.
Start Building Your Alzheimer’s Support Team As Soon As Possible
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that impairs a person’s brain from functioning healthily. It may start with minor irritants, such as they no longer remember their neighbor’s name or they can’t follow a recipe, but over time the disease advances, stripping them of more and more abilities to live independently. If you opt to have your aging parent come and live with you to help her retain some independence while still providing a safe environment for her, you will also want to start building up a support team to help you navigate the upcoming health changes of your loved one.


Who should be on your Alzheimer’s Care Team?
Doctors and Specialists
Once your loved one is diagnosed, she should be referred to a doctor who specializes in the disease so that they can help you stay up-to-date on the latest treatments, medications, and well-being practices for your loved one. You’ll need a resource to easily go to when you have questions and your loved one will want a familiar, trusted face to see when she needs to visit her doctor.
Friends and Family
You shouldn’t need to care for your loved one all by yourself. Even if she is only living with you, you can enlist family members and trusted friends to help by having regular visits with your loved one, helping around the home, or providing supervision for when you need to leave the home. Talk to family members early on about where and how they can step in so that expectations are clearly set for each person. There will be times when this journey is difficult for all family members, so knowing ahead of time who can help with what will provide relief to you as their primary caregiver.
Alzheimer’s Care Providers
While you might not see a lot of ways to utilize an Alzheimer’s Care provider in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, if you can have someone join your team early on in the progression of the disease, that person will become a trusted person to your loved one, making the services that Alzheimer’s home care can offer more welcome by your loved one. Your Alzheimer’s care provider can step in and help with meals, personal care tasks, activities, and so much more.
Support Group
As a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer’s disease, don’t forget to take care of yourself so that you can, in turn, take better care of your loved one. Joining a support group for family members of Alzheimer’s patients is a great way to connect with others who know exactly what you’re going through and provide support and advice to help you feel not quite as alone. There will be hard moments on this new journey and wonderful moments you never expected. Having others to help you through the tough spots and celebrate the special moments that will come will make the journey less lonely.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s home care in Denver, CO please contact the caring staff at FirstLight Home Care of Central Denver today at (303) 953-9575. FirstLight Home Care of Central Denver provides exceptional home care for seniors in Denver, Littleton, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Lakewood, Golden, Centennial, Greenwood Village, Aurora and surrounding areas.


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