Millions of families are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia. Patients with Alzheimer’s in Memphis require an increasing level of at-home healthcare as the disease progresses. This form of dementia begins with the impairment of short-term memory, and then progressively affects logical thinking, emotions, behavior, long-term memory, and eventually, basic bodily functions such as respiration.

For more information about the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease, watch this helpful animation. It explains how beta-amyloid protein plaques and neurofibrillary tangles develop within the brain, block communications between cells, and induce the death of nerve cells. You’ll also learn that the progressive nature of the disease is due to the gradual spread of plaques and tangles throughout the brain, beginning with the hippocampus.

As your terminally ill loved one nears the end of life, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed with anticipatory grief and the challenges of meeting your loved one’s needs. If your family hasn’t already done so, you may reach out to a hospice care provider. Arranging for home care in Memphis can ensure your loved one receives the help he or she needs while giving your family some much needed time to simply be present with your loved one.

Assisting with Basic Tasks
It’s likely that your loved one will become increasingly unable to care for him-or herself. Your loved one may be confined to a bed, which means he or she needs assistance with toileting. It is often difficult for family members, particularly adult children, to help their loved ones with tasks of such a personal nature. A home health care provider can assist your loved one with toileting to preserve his or her dignity. An in-home care provider can also help you position your loved one to improve comfort and reduce the risk of bedsores. There are many other things you can do to improve your loved one’s physical comfort. If he or she is no longer eating and drinking, you may apply lip balm and periodically insert a small ice chip into his or her mouth. If your loved one appears to be in pain, let the physician know that he or she may need additional medications or a stronger dose.

Providing Reassurance
Even as individuals at the end of life lose many basic functions, they can often still hear their family members. Touch his or her hand to let your loved one know you’re there and speak to him or her with a calming voice. If your loved one is aware enough to respond to the surroundings, he or she may sometimes become agitated or confused. Provide reassurance as needed. The physician can address severe agitation.

Understanding End of Life Changes
It is impossible to know how long someone will require end of life care. You may wish to learn some of the indicators that the end is near so that you can prepare yourself. Generally, individuals become withdrawn and sleep more than usual. They may want to change positions frequently and they may have changes in breathing. Do not become alarmed if your loved one refuses food and drink; this is also typical.

When individuals require care due to age, disability, illness, or other reasons, families often struggle to provide the assistance they need. This is a common reason for transfers into a long-term care facility such as a nursing home. However, there is an alternative that offers advantages for the whole family. A provider of long-term care serving Memphis can assist families by caring for their loved ones without the need for institutionalization. Since in-home care providers are professionals in their field, families can rest assured that their loved ones are in good hands.

Independence
One significant benefit of elder care or hospice care within the home is that the individual maintains his or her freedom and independence. At a nursing home or other facility, the residents often do not have a choice regarding whether or not they have a roommate, and whether they can choose when and what to eat. They may be obliged to follow the institution’s schedule for activities and other events, regardless of personal choice. By arranging for in-home care, families can preserve their loved one’s independence, privacy, and dignity.

Safety
Safety at home is often a major concern for families, particularly as a loved one grows older. With the assistance of a home care provider, individuals have a greatly reduced risk of suffering an accident and injury when bathing, dressing, or transferring from a bed to a wheelchair. Since a home care provider can prepare the individual’s meals, there is a lessened risk of an accident in the kitchen, such as a fall or a house fire.

Wellness
Research suggests that individuals who recover from illnesses at home and seniors who age in place may enjoy better overall health than those who are institutionalized. With the constant threat of infections, hospitals aren’t always healthy settings for recovery. Additionally, seniors who are placed in nursing homes may not necessarily receive close attention from overworked facility workers, which means that health problems may go undetected. Emotional health is another important consideration. An in-home caregiver provides companionship for individuals who may have trouble getting out of the home.

When your senior loved one needs assistance taking care of him or herself, home health care in Memphis could be the best solution. At-home care offers many benefits to seniors and their families, whether your loved one needs very basic home care services or something more complex, like dementia or hospice care. Why should you consider at-home care for your senior loved one? Here is a look at some of the benefits.

Familiar Surroundings
Leaving home can be a difficult experience for seniors. Many studies have indicated that seniors do better when they receive care at home. They don’t have to adjust to new surroundings, and being in familiar environments can be emotionally comforting. For patients with Alzheimer’s, staying at home can be particularly helpful during the early stages of the disease. Whatever level of care your loved one needs, in-home care aides can help provide it.

Personal Freedom
When your loved one moves to a care facility, he or she will inevitably lose personal freedom. There will be set meal times, times for specific activities, and restrictions on visitors. This can cause distress for seniors as well as their families. With home health care, your loved one will be able to maintain the right level of independence while still getting the support he or she needs.

Financial Savings
Whenever a loved one needs care, there is always a financial aspect to consider. Although most people assume otherwise, it can actually be more cost-effective to use at-home care rather than moving a loved one to a nursing home or assisted living facility. One of the biggest financial benefits of home health care is that you can structure it specifically to your loved one’s needs. You will only have to pay for a caregiver when your loved one needs it instead of paying for care around the clock, as you would at a care facility. This option also allows family members to take on some of the care responsibilities, which helps to lower costs.

When you’re tasked with taking care of a loved one, taking care of yourself is just as important of a job—and it can seem just as difficult to do. Caregivers often feel overwhelmed and guilty about taking time for themselves, but in reality, it’s impossible to provide the care you want to give if you aren’t at your best. Respite care near Memphis allows you to get the break you need while knowing that your loved one is still receiving the support he or she requires. Here is a look at why respite care is an essential part of being a caregiver.

Physical Health
Many caregivers find that they get sick more often than they did before they were in charge of providing care. It’s no surprise that this happens, since you’re more likely to miss out on sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise when your loved one needs your attention. When your body doesn’t get the basic things it needs, like rest and nutrition, you become more vulnerable to infection. With respite care, a home health aide can take over care duties while you sleep, work out, or simply rest and let your body heal.

Emotional Health
Being a caregiver is rewarding, but it is also emotionally demanding. The less help you have with care, the more stressful your duties can become. In addition to the damage that long-term stress can do to you, you may find that you become inpatient with your loved one because of the pressure. Respite care gives you an important opportunity to focus on yourself and do things that bring you pleasure, such as engaging in favorite hobbies and spending time with friends, which can help to restore your emotional health.

Personal Relationships
Because of the demands of your caregiving duties, you may have less time for important personal relationships. You can preserve these connections with the help of respite care. Use the opportunity to go out with your spouse, spend the day with your kids, or catch up with an old friend.

When a loved one needs end-of-life care or hospice care in Memphis, you will likely have many questions about what your options are. This video can help you make important decisions about hospice care.

End-of-life care can be provided in a number of different ways, including in hospice facilities, but many families find that the best hospice care is provided at home. With in-home hospice care, your loved one gets to spend his or her final days in the comfort of familiar surroundings while getting necessary care and support. Look for home health care providers who have experience providing this kind of care. Home care and hospice work together to make sure that the patient is getting all the care they need. When hospice can’t be there all the time home care providers can be there up to 24-hours a day to make sure your loved ones are getting the full care they need. Hospice care is about caring for the patient as well his or her family, so ensure that the program you are considering also provides support for family members during the hospice period.

The term dementia describes a group of symptoms that together reflect a general mental decline that interferes with everyday living. Most people with dementia need home health care in Memphis to help with things like personal hygiene, cooking, and medication reminders. The level of care required depends on the type and severity of the dementia.

The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, and patients require an increasing degree of home health care as the disease worsens. Another type of dementia is vascular dementia, which is brought on by stroke. Other types of dementia can be caused by different medical conditions, such as thyroid disease, and may be reversible when the underlying condition is treated. If your loved one displays signs of dementia, such as memory loss or communication difficulties, take action right away. Although not every type of dementia is curable, with the right at-home care and the right treatment, the symptoms may be slowed or managed.

When a loved one is discharged from a hospital or other healthcare facility, it may seem as though the difficult part of recovery is behind him or her. This is often not the case, however. In fact, about two out of every 10 hospitalizations is a re-admittance after a prior discharge due to an improper transition back to the home environment. By carefully planning your loved one’s transition with the help of an agency for in-home care near Memphis , you can greatly facilitate his or her recovery. Seeking help from an in-home care agency can provide a safer environment in the home, and also ease the burden on family caregivers.

Planning Ahead
Planning ahead for your loved one’s care at home is critical. You can consult your loved one’s healthcare team to determine the type of support he or she may need. Many families underestimate the amount of care a loved one will need and overestimate their ability to provide it. Consider visiting an in-home care agency to arrange home care for your loved one. These services are available on a short-term and long-term basis.

Modifying the Home Environment
Walk through your loved one’s home before he or she is discharged. After consulting with his or her healthcare/discharge team, you may determine that some modifications are necessary to ensure safety. For example, you may need to install grab bars/shower chair in the bathtub. If your loved one cannot yet manage stairs and the bedroom is on an upper level, you can rent a hospital bed to place downstairs. You may also need to have assistive devices and healthcare supplies in the home for your loved one, such as a walker, disposable gloves, and bedside potty.

Following Discharge Instructions
Once your loved one is discharged, a home health aide can assist with tasks such as meal preparation, housekeeping, ambulation, bathing, dressing, and toileting. After the family caregiver has filled all necessary prescriptions, a schedule can be arranged with your in-home care agency for medicine reminders. The family caregiver along with the discharge planner can determine and arrange necessary services at home, such as home health care, physical therapy or occupational therapy.

If you’re providing senior care in Memphis to a loved one, you’re not alone. More than 65 million Americans provide elder care and hospice care to a family member. With an aging population, caregiver stress and burnout are likely to become increasingly prevalent. Caregiver stress is a multifaceted problem that typically involves both emotional and physical symptoms. Caregivers might notice that they often catch colds, feel fatigued, gain or lose weight, and experience sleep disturbances.

You can learn more about the psychological indicators of caregiver stress by watching this video. This expert also offers some advice for developing home care solutions that can help reduce family caregiver stress, such as reaching out to an elder care agency to arrange respite care or to have a regular caregiver for your loved one.

Toward the end of life, individuals often prefer to spend their days at home, surrounded by their loved ones, rather than in an institutional setting. Fortunately, with the proper planning, this is entirely possible. Caring Companions provides hospice care through our senior helpers in Memphis. Our caregivers are empathetic, spiritual individuals who are dedicated to guiding families through this difficult time. Our end of life care services can complement your loved one’s care plan through a hospice program or medical provider.

Some of the care services we provide to individuals toward the end of life include food preparation, light housekeeping, including laundry, bathing, dressing, mobility assistance and medicine reminders. Individuals with a terminal illness often cannot perform self-care for themselves and it can be difficult for family members to assist with these tasks. Our compassionate caregivers can help your loved one with incontinence care, toileting, bathing, and dressing to help him or her maintain dignity.