Blog > Four Ways to Help Improve Quality of Life for Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease

Four Ways to Help Improve Quality of Life for Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease

During National Alzheimer’s Disease Month, which occurs every November, it’s important to look at ways to make the best of the situation your senior has been handed. These ideas can help you and other family members to give your senior the best quality of life that she can have.

Simplify Life as Much as Possible

The more complicated that your senior’s life and environment are, the more overwhelming that will be for her as she deals with the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. This can mean making sure that it’s easy for your senior to find the items that she uses most often, like with clear bins and labels. It can also mean giving her only two choices rather than making her come up with options herself.

Stick to a Routine that Works

Routines can seem restrictive until you realize that routines help to give your senior structure. Structure is very helpful for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, because a great deal of life can be confusing and unsettling. Knowing what to expect helps your elderly family member to feel a little less adrift when things feel like they’re starting to go sideways.

Get Some Help Sooner Rather than Later

Very often family caregivers wait to get help, even with a senior being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, because it seems like the situation isn’t big enough yet. Having senior home care providers available as soon as possible after your senior’s diagnosis helps you both to get used to having assistance in the first place. But elder care providers also enable you and your senior to get into a routine that truly supports her needs.

Remember that She’s Going through Big Changes

It can be really difficult as a family caregiver to see the changes that your elderly family member faces. Some of those changes can even lead to your senior lashing out or being confused with common activities. Remember that your elderly family member’s brain is changing in ways that she doesn’t understand and remember to take respite care for yourself when you can. Senior home care services can be there for your elderly family member while you take time to rest.

Learning as much as you can about Alzheimer’s disease can help you and your senior’s doctors to find the right treatments and options for your elderly family member. There’s still no cure, but you might be able to help your senior to be as content as possible in the meantime.