It’s believed that 5.8 million adults over the age of 64 are living with Alzheimer’s disease. When it’s your mom or dad, it’s hard to know exactly when senior care services are necessary. Your parent may hide some of the memory issues.
If your parents live together, it’s normal for one spouse to hide the full extent of the memory loss. Your dad may be covering for your mom by doing things for her. It can make it hard to see how much of a struggle Alzheimer’s is becoming. How can you tell when it’s time for senior care?
Ask to Go to a Doctor’s Appointment
Senior Care Montclair, CA: Alzheimer’s Needs
Ask if it’s okay if you tag along to the next memory care appointment. You will not be in the room with the doctor for the initial part of the test. You can, however, get some time alone with the doctor to ask questions and see how your mom or dad is doing.
Pay attention to the decline between visits. If the results of the cognitive skills tests have dropped by 10 points between appointments, it’s getting serious. At that point, senior care services are important. It’s time to have a discussion.
How Can Senior Care Help?
As Alzheimer’s disease advances, there are things your parent will not be able to do independently. Cooking a meal may still seem like something your mom or dad can manage. One issue that occurs is that the oven or stove is on, food is cooking, and your parent forgets all about it.
When smoke starts filling the house and alarms go off, it can be too late. A fire may already have started. You do not want your parent trying to put out a fire. At the same time, remembering how to use the phone or call 911 can also be hard for someone with Alzheimer’s to remember. If no one is home to help, it’s disastrous.
After an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, doctors will recommend taking away the keys. Remembering how to get home is a risk. Someone has to be available to provide rides to stores, medical offices, homes, and businesses. A caregiver can be the person to drive your mom or dad safely from one area to the next when you’re at work.
Senior care also helps with the housework, organization, personal care, grooming, and companionship. It’s essential to make sure your mom or dad feels safe and has an aide to help with things that become harder to remember how to do. Call an agency to discuss the ways a caregiver helps when cognitive decline begins.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Senior Care in Montclair, CA please contact the caring staff at Motherly Comfort Home Care, LLC today at (909) 610-3222.
Sources:
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures