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What to Expect as Alzheimer’s Disease Advances

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Home Care in Mamaroneck NY

Alzheimer’s is a leading cause of death in the United States. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 10 percent of Americans over the age of 64 have Alzheimer’s. There are 5.3 million Alzheimer’s patients in all, and 3.3 of them are women. If you’re one of the many adult children whose parents’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, here are things to expect with each stage of Alzheimer’s.

Earliest Stages

In the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s, you might not notice much. Your mom or dad may have periods where glasses or keys get misplaced. As this happens to anyone from time to time, you might not even think of it as being a problem.

The things you should be worried about are notes or messages from your parent’s employer reminding your parent to lock a door and set an alarm before leaving work. Your parent may suddenly forget a word or name that you know they should easily recall. This is a good time to enlist the expertise of a physician who specializes in dementia.

What Comes Next

As your parent slips into the moderate stages of Alzheimer’s more supervision may become necessary. You may find your mom or dad dealing with anxiety and depression. Your parent may forget what time of the day or day of the week it is. You may notice your mom or dad wears the same outfit every day. He or she may also start staying up late into the night and sleeping through most of the morning.

As the moderate stages of Alzheimer’s continue, the risk of wandering off becomes a scary possibility. Your parent may develop obsessive tendencies, such as washing bath mats multiple times a day or washing hands over and over.

The Final Stages

By the time Alzheimer’s enters the latter stages, it’s unlikely your parent will be able to easily communicate with you. Your mom or dad may not be able to properly notify you when he or she feels pain. You may find them not knowing who you are. Eventually, the ability to swallow properly sets in. This increases the risk for aspiration pneumonia. At this point, caregivers working shifts to cover 24 hours a day is crucial.

Alzheimer’s disease affects entire families. You shouldn’t try to handle the care yourself. Talk to a home care service to discuss what services will benefit a parent with Alzheimer’s disease. Consider your own need for a break, too, and bring in a referred caregiver to be there to offer you respite.

If you or an aging loved one are considering non-medical in-home care in Scarsdale and Yonkers, NY, call Griswold Home Care and speak to one of our caring staff members today. Call (914) 768-9065

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