Many seniors with Alzheimer’s disease go weeks without visits from their family members. While it can be difficult to watch as your aging loved one’s personality and memory begin to change, you can both still benefit from seeing each other. If you find yourself debating a visit in the future, use this list of reasons to go see your loved one as motivation to maintain your regular visiting schedule.
1. It Makes Your Parent Feel Loved
The memory loss that comes with Alzheimer’s disease may cause your loved one to forget facts and figures, such as the date you’re expected to visit. However, your loved one may still retain his or her emotional memory. During your visit, your loved one still picks up on the fact that you care. Hugging, holding hands, and smiling are all special ways to connect with your loved one when he or she may not be able to hold a conversation.
2. You Can Check on the Living Environment
Your loved one’s condition will progress over time, and he or she may not realize when things have reached a point where he or she needs assistance. If your loved one still lives independently, regular visits are critical for making sure he or she has food in the pantry and is taking medications correctly. Seniors who have home caregivers still benefit from visits with family members. Developing a relationship with the other people who care for your loved one also makes it easier to communicate when his or her care needs change.
3. Your Loved One May Remember You
Alzheimer’s symptoms often come and go, and even seniors in the later stages have moments of clarity. Your loved one may also know exactly who you are but be unable to tell you through words alone. Just showing up gives your loved one a chance to remember you.
Mental and emotional challenges are common for many aging adults, but they don’t have to manage them alone. In Oakville, senior care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.
4. Socialization Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms
Seniors need to see and talk to other people at every stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Socializing lifts the spirit, and it also encourages seniors to try to retain their abilities. Every time your loved one tries to remember a name or put together a clear sentence, he or she is strengthening the connections between the neurons in the brain. You can also do things that increase this benefit by bringing along puzzles, books, or music you know your loved one would enjoy as an activity for the day.
A professional Alzheimer’s caregiver with training and expertise in methods of cognitive stimulation can also be a wonderful asset. Seniors with Alzheimer’s have much to gain when their families opt for professional Alzheimer’s care. Oakville families can rely on compassionate and dedicated caregivers to help their elderly loved ones manage the various challenges of Alzheimer’s disease so they can enjoy a higher quality of life.
5. You Can Strengthen Your Relationship
Relationships involve both people, and you have a great deal of control over how you view your relationship. You can help your relationship continue to grow in spite of the Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Spending time together and showing care to someone who has meant so much in your life is the perfect way to make sure Alzheimer’s disease never comes between the two of you.
Regular visits from family members can reassure and calm seniors who have Alzheimer’s. Caring for a senior loved one can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Oakville Home Care Assistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care. To schedule a free in-home consultation, give us a call at (905) 337-1200 today.