Elder Care in Stuart FL
If you are the family caregiver for one of the more than 5 million adults throughout the United States who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, you might have noticed that your senior has started exhibiting negative behaviors. Whether it is lashing out, using profanity, becoming violent, or refusing to cooperate with their care, these negative behaviors are an unpleasant but common effect of Alzheimer’s disease. A large percentage of people who develop this condition will express negative behaviors at some point in their journey, potentially leading to dangerous and upsetting experiences for both the senior and you as their caregiver. These behaviors generally develop in the moderate stages of the disease and can be difficult for both of you to handle. Understanding why some elderly adults exhibit negative behaviors during their journey with Alzheimer’s disease can help you to adjust your care efforts to help avoid these behaviors and better manage them if they do arise. There is not one single cause for negative behaviors in Alzheimer’s disease. This is why it is vital for you as a caregiver to be vigilant about your parent’s condition, symptoms, and behaviors, as well as what is going on around them when they are experiencing these negative behaviors, so that you have a better chance of detecting why they might exhibit them. In many situations negative behaviors are caused by unmet needs for the senior. It is important to keep in mind that the cognitive limitations of Alzheimer’s disease can make it so that your parent does not understand the signals of their body or what they should do to resolve them. This can mean that when they feel those signals they get frightened, agitated, anxious, and potentially combative. Because they might not know what it is that they need or how to express it, your loved one may not be able to ask you for help resolving these needs. This makes it vital for you to always keep up with their basic needs, including ensuring that they are not hungry, thirsty, tired, in pain, or bored. Negative behaviors can also stem from your parent feeling out of control and anxious. Being in unfamiliar surroundings, having too many people around them, or having their routine changed can create that feeling, but so can minor things like you trying to manage each decision of their life or constantly correcting them. For example, your parent might get agitated if you try to tell them that they should not take everything out of their dresser drawers and then put it back in four times a day. They could interpret that as you trying to control them and not allowing them to live their own life. In this type of situation it is better that you ensure your senior is safe and then allow them to do what they want to do to keep their mind active and engaged, and create a sense of independence and autonomy. Starting elder care for your aging parent can make a tremendous difference in their journey with Alzheimer’s disease, and your experience as their family caregiver. The highly personalized services of elderly care are designed to address your loved one’s specific challenges, limitations, and symptoms in a way that takes into consideration their personality, individuality, goals, and lifestyle, as well as the care efforts that you offer to your loved one. This means that your senior gets everything that they need to stay safe, healthy, comfortable, and happy while maintaining as much independence and activity as possible as they age in place and keeping you at the forefront of their care routine. When it comes to handling negative behaviors, this care provider can ensure that your parent’s needs are met consistently, keep their mind stimulated, and monitor their health and well-being to detect changes that might require further attention and care. Source https://www.alz.org/national/documents/brochure_behaviors.pdf http://www.alzheimers.net/1-6-15-new-approaches-difficult-behaviors/If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Stuart, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.