Physical Needs And Safety For Alzheimer’s disease
Nutrition
During the middle and late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, eating becomes difficult. The individual may not remember when they ate, recognize feelings of hunger, be able to determine if food is too hot or too cold, or even remember to chew or swallow.
Self-feeding may be made easier by using adaptive, easy grip utensils available from medical equipment stores, your local pharmacy, or from health product catalogs.
Home Safety Room-By-Room
Prevention begins with a safety check of every room in your home. Use the following room-by-room checklist to alert you to potential hazards and to record any changes you need to make. You can buy products or gadgets necessary for home safety at stores carrying hardware, electronics, medical supplies, and children’s items.
Develop a positive attitude.
Many people look on their caregiving responsibility as a way of being involved with their loved one. Their caring is based on unconditional love, and they do not consider it a burden. Dementia patients are able to read body language and to respond to the positive attitudes of the caregiver.
You need to safety proof your home. This will help avoid accidents. If you have stairs with out railing, have them installed early on. Remove anything that could be a danger to the patient such as medicines, kitchen utensils, jewelry. Purchase locking cabinets. Lock away in cupboards anything that can cause injury.
Person Awareness
Reminiscing about people and places from the past can sometimes help focus memory, as can talking about people of the present, especially those who are not seen regularly.
Driving: Some states have laws requiring physicians to report individuals with a diagnosis of AD to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The intent is to ensure that you and those around you are safe. If you continue driving, ongoing evaluation of your driving abilities and ongoing consultation with your physician are critical.
Maintain a notebook for the responsible person who will be assuming caregiving. Such a notebook should contain the following information: emergency numbers, current problem behaviors and possible solutions, ways to calm the person with AD, assistance needed with toileting, feeding, or grooming, favorite activities or food.
Individualized Assessment
A functional assessment is needed to serve as the basis for care planning. The assessment should provide a comprehensive picture of the strengths and needs of the individual and his or her family
Nursing care and safety
The person with Alzheimer’s disease will gradually lose the ability to dress, groom, feed, bathe, or use the toilet by himself; in the later stages of the disease, he may be unable to move or speak. In addition, the person’s behavior becomes increasing erratic. A tendency to wander may make it difficult to leave him unattended for even a few minutes and make even the home a potentially dangerous place. In addition, some patients may exhibit inappropriate sexual behaviors.
Modify The Home Environment
low levels of light during meals (this may improve eating habits);
Simply furnished spaces with minimal distractive clutter;
Consistent background noise, especially music of the person’s choosing or simulated nature sounds.
