Preparing For Late Stage Alzheimer's Care In Gilford, NH

Preparing for mid-stage to late-stage Alzheimer’s is the best way to provide your loved one with the quality care that they deserve as the illness progresses.

            Mid-Stage Alzheimer’s: What to Expect

            Mid-stage Alzheimer’s will cause a person to depend more on family, friends, and care  professionals while drifting away from independent living.

            Some symptoms of mid-stage Alzheimer’s are decreased hand-eye coordination, severe memory lapses, and inability to remember the names of loved ones.

            Mid-stage Alzheimer’s typically lasts from 2-4 years. Persons that are going through this stage usually live at home, but with the help from a family member or an Alzheimer’s care professional.

            Late-Stage Alzheimer’s: What to Expect

            During the 1-2 year period of late-stage Alzheimer’s, the person becomes fully dependent on outside care. Language abilities, as well as short-term and long-term memory function, are often lost completely.

            Some symptoms of late-stage Alzheimer’s are high vulnerability to infections, near-total short-term and long-term memory loss, requiring 24/7 care and monitoring, loss of physical abilities like walking, sitting, and swallowing, and severe difficulty speaking.

            It can be quite difficult for this person to remain at home. Most people choose to move their loved one to a full-time facility or bring in a full-time team of care professionals.

            Alzheimer’s: Planning for Later Stages

            To prepare successfully for the later stages of Alzheimer’s, it’s important to take it step-by-step.

• Learn what to expect for your loved one. Research any behavioral changes that they may have as well as the internal changes that are causing that behavior. Learn what you can do to make sure that they feel as safe, secure, and comfortable as possible.
• Learn what to expect for yourself. It’s important that you know what’s expected as you as a caregiver and what local resources are open to you.
• Examine your finances. Handling your loved one’s care can be a strong hit to your finances. Research home care and respite care in your area, as well as if a family member may want to come in to be a caregiver.
• Develop your support network. You need strong individuals to provide support during this time, whether it’s Alzheimer’s care professionals or family and friends.
• Be realistic. Understand that you can’t provide your loved one with Alzheimer’s care on your own forever, even though you may want to. That puts your well-being and the well-being of your loved one at risk.

Interested in learning more about in-home Alzheimer’s care and respite care in general? Contact the offices of Visiting Angels of Gilford today.