Caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease can seem like attempting to solve a constantly changing puzzle. Once you determine the solution to one segment, you discover that the picture has changed, and you need to reconsider your plan of action for the next levels of Alzheimer’s.

Trying to figure out the puzzle of Alzheimer’s care demands continuous education and a group effort, including professionals specifically trained in the numerous facets of Alzheimer’s disease support. Hired Hands Homecare provides the following tips, courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association, to help families in establishing care strategies throughout the levels of Alzheimer’s:

Early Stages: Family members can best assist a loved one with Alzheimer’s through planning together, offering a patient, calm, listening ear and memory prompts when needed. Strategies consist of:

Be a care advocate for your family member, offering emotional assistance and encouragement.
Help plan for … Read More »

Phyllis manning the booth at The Alzheimer’s Conference

Hired Hands Homecare is proud to present Cathy Wadleigh.  Ms. Wadleigh is an LVN, PAC Certified Trainer, and group facilitator specializing in grief recovery and family transition.

Informative sessions focusing on helping families and individuals adjusting to living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia will be held at the Hired Hands Homecare Pleasanton office on the first and third Tuesday of the month, with two sessions 11:30-1pm, and 4:30-6pm.

For more information, please contact Cathy at 925-413-2080, or email her at Cathy@AssistanceWithAging.com.

This week, an interesting story aired on NPR regarding how researchers are discovering how different types of light affect people.  What’s most impressive is how they’re using their findings, and applying them for helping Alzheimer’s patients and seniors.  Both the interview and the transcript can be found here.

Learn the pros and cons of daily bathing for seniors.

Sinking into a warm, soothing, bubble bath at the end of a stressful day, and stepping into a hot, invigorating shower first thing in the morning are daily pleasures for a great many of us. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing in regards to bathing habits for older adults. You might want to rethink daily bathing for seniors, for a number of reasons:

Balancing emotional empathy for caregivers can lead to healthier, more compassionate care for the person you love.

Empathy is, naturally, a crucial characteristic of effective caregiving. The ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes helps you to better meet their needs. However, there is a particular form of empathy you need to understand in order to guard your own health and wellness: emotional empathy for caregivers.

Emotional empathy takes caring to another level. Instead of simply understanding how another person is feeling, emotional empathy includes actually experiencing their feelings. For instance, if you’re someone who is highly emotionally empathetic, sitting beside a person who is crying will bring tears to your own eyes. If they’re in pain, you’ll also experience distress. You’re the type of person who will spring into action when someone has an immediate need.

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Caring for a loved one as they near the end of life is an incredibly personal journey. When Alzheimer’s disease is part of this experience, the path can become even more intricate. Unlike many other terminal illnesses, dementia progresses in unpredictable ways, requiring us to adjust our approach to end-of-life dementia care.

Identifying End-of-Life Signs in Dementia

In many diseases, the end-of-life stage is marked by noticeable changes in areas such as eating, sleeping, and socializing, often appearing two to four months before death. However, with Alzheimer’s disease, these indicators can emerge much earlier, sometimes even years in advance. These are the key signs to watch for:

Extended Sleep Patterns: Long periods of sleep can occur well before the final stages of life in someone with dementia. While this may be an early sign, it can also continue over a … Read More »

Have you ever woken up from a dream feeling completely disoriented? The dream seemed so real, and it takes a moment to regain your bearings. For someone with dementia, this disorientation is a part of everyday life. One highly effective way to help is to provide as much stability as possible, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is by sticking to a daily routine for someone with dementia.

How Can a Routine Help Someone With Dementia?

Short-term memory loss makes it challenging for someone with Alzheimer’s to learn and remember new things. A familiar routine helps build self-confidence, reinforce a sense of independence, and reduce anxiety.

To establish the most comfortable routine for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, try the following:

Follow their lead. Retain any routines the person already has built: a morning shower before … Read More »