When the senior you care for is unaware that they are suffering when trying to do ordinary chores, you may start struggling to care for them. A senior with Alzheimer’s suffering from anosognosia is unaware of their impairment and may get enraged when they are offered help. They may even start taking their anger out on you when you mention any problems.
Having an experienced senior home care provider will help your senior out tremendously. The most important thing you can focus on is not stressing them out while making sure they stay healthy. Here are some ways you can help encourage a senior to participate and contribute to activities without stressing them out or angering them.
Let Them Do What They Can
Finding ways for them to do things they have always done will help keep them feeling normal. If they always balance a checkbook, find a fake or “dummy” checkbook for them to use. This keeps them out of trouble but also allows them to do something in their regular routine that makes them feel normal. It can be hard to look after someone unaware of their problems, but it is essential to let your seniors do what they can and have always done.
Don’t Change What They Are Doing
You may want to change everything that your senior is doing, but change your mindset instead of looking at it as if they’re doing something wrong. At Least they’re doing something that interests them. So, unless it’s putting your seniors at risk or in danger, you may want to let them continue doing everything they’re doing. Let your mom or dad pretend to pay bills, let them clean the house the way they want, or try to put away groceries. Just ensure that someone is watching them to make sure they’re not doing any damage.
Adapt Daily Activities
Most people will want to stay busy despite their dementia or Alzheimers, so it is essential to find things they can still do. Or if they find things they have always loved to do but adapt them to make them easier.
A Few Things Caregivers Should Be Aware Of
It can be challenging to take care of someone who does not really understand what problems they have or those who refuse to admit it. You should keep in mind three things if you are caring for your parent.
- Don’t presume a person isn’t conscious just because they have mental or cognitive disability signs. The level and range of awareness might vary. A lack of knowledge in one area does not always imply a lack of understanding in other areas.
- Expect a lot of change in how your senior feels and what they do over time. Over a short period, if the same person gives different reports on how they understand things, that doesn’t mean the reports aren’t true.
- It’s essential to always support your senior even if you don’t understand what they’re doing or going through.
The best way to support your senior parent suffering from anosognosia as a side effect of Alzheimer’s is to bring in senior home care as soon as they are diagnosed. With each changing stage of the disease, new challenges will arise. The earlier your parent is introduced to the idea of senior home care assisting them, the better.
Home Care San in Diego, CA by Innovative Healthcare Consultants 