If your elderly parent is losing memory rapidly and has been diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s, things can get extremely difficult for the family emotionally. They did so much to raise you that you feel the obligation to care for them. Here are some of the signs of memory loss to look for as your parents age, and how to make sure you and your family also stay emotionally healthy:
Research shows that as we age, we tend to lose a little bit of our memory. But once diagnosed with Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is only one form, it’s possible for your parents to slowly lose their train of thought, get events jumbled, get disoriented, lose their grip on handling finances and lose basic housekeeping. They will also suffer from confusion and have behavioural outbursts. These issues tend to get worse at night. This is called ‘Sundowning’ where their confusion and agitation may get worse in the evening and night. In comparison, their symptoms may be less pronounced earlier in the day. Medications, infection, very commonly, a urinary tract infection or a change in environment, will only worsen it. The elderly parent also fumbles with activities of daily living like the hygiene ability to shower or brush your teeth.
Things, thus, can get very difficult for the family. Offering the patient emotional support becomes a big necessity. Here are a few things that you could help them with:
Let them stay with you. If your parents live far away from you, and there are no trustworthy assisted-living facilities in your city or town, it helps to get them to live with your family in your home, or to make an arrangement to live next door. Keeping an eye on their health and wellbeing, while fulfilling your responsibilities for your own family, becomes easier.
Stick to the same schedule. This will help them remain calm. Don’t make changes to routines. If you have to make changes, make them gradually and as little as possible.
Ensure right exercise and diet. This is really important. The right diet and exercise like a short walk, that keeps them active, increases the blood flow to their brain and makes a big difference with how it functions and how well they can handle the memory as well as functional loss. This will also give them restful sleep.
Control health problems. If they have high blood pressure or diabetes, making sure these are controlled makes a big difference.
Make lists. Till their illness is mild to moderate, you could make lists of their routine and ask them to refer to the lists. You may have to remind several times but they will feel a little bit more independent and in control. Of course, once the illness gets severe, this would not work.
Take care of yourself. Memory loss of an elderly parent takes a huge toll on the caregivers because it’s a full-time job. If you get to the point where you simply cannot do this anymore, whether it’s physically, emotionally or financially, it’s a good idea to rotate their stay between siblings so everyone gets a breather from time to time.
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