More than 5 million people throughout the United States are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. If you are a family caregiver for a senior with Alzheimer’s, it is important for you to know about the disease and how it can affect your parent.

The first step is understanding how this disease progresses. It is referred to as a “progressive” disease because it does not stay the same, but increases and worsens over time. Though each person’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease is personal to them and your aging parent will move through their disease in a unique way, there are some fairly universal patterns that characterize the progression of most cases of the disease. These are referred to as the stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

The stages of Alzheimer’s disease include:

• Mild or early stage. At this point the symptoms are mild and may be barely noticeable to some people. The senior can still live independently, but may start experiencing some challenges such as memory loss, misplacing items, increased conversational challenges, and difficulty with tasks.

• Moderate or middle stage. This is the point when the disease becomes more noticeable to those around the person. It is also typically the longest stage. Your parent can live in this stage for several years. During this time their need for care will increase as their challenges do and they may start showing increased wandering tendencies, behavioral changes, risky behaviors, negative actions, and inability to manage basic tasks such as choosing appropriate clothing or bathing. If your parent has not started elder care, this is the time when it becomes even more important.

• Advanced or late stage. This is the last stage of the disease. The senior has no independent functioning and will need around the clock care. They will lose their ability to interact with the world around them, and eventually to move at all. This is when they become particularly vulnerable to other dangerous factors, such as infections, choking, and bedsores, requiring attentive care at all times.

Whether you have recently found out that your aging parent is living with Alzheimer’s disease, or they have been progressing through this disease for some time and have developed symptoms that you do not feel you can handle on your own, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elder care for them. An elderly home care services provider can act as a supplement to the care that you already give your senior so that you can feel confident that they are getting everything that they need, while also reducing your stress, easing your care burden, and allowing you to focus on your own health, well-being, and quality of life as well. These highly personalized services can include managing sensitive tasks that you are not comfortable handling, providing safe transportation, offering companionship and support, assisting with activities of daily living, and providing personal care designed to specifically help your loved one with the struggles that they are facing now, and those that they may develop later in their progression.

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp
https://alz.org/10-signs-symptoms-alzheimers-dementia.asp
https://www.alz.org/facts/

If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Elder Care in St. Petersburg, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.