In honor of November’s National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness month, Sharon Roth Maguire, a geriatric nurse practitioner and vice president of quality and clinical operations for BrightStar Care® put together a list of tips to help families that are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. For more info visit http://www.brightstarcare.com/neurological-disorder-care.

1. Alzheimer’s Awareness Tips In Honor of National
Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

2. In honor of November’s National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness
month, Sharon Roth Maguire, a geriatric nurse practitioner and vice
president of quality and clinical operations for BrightStar Care®, put
together a list of tips to help families that are caring for a loved one
with Alzheimer’s disease:

3. Put together a team. This isn’t a task you want to tackle alone. There
are programs to assist families who are caring for Alzheimer’s sufferers.
BrightStar Clinical Pathways offers a 30-day transitional-care program spe
The evidence-based program is designed to empower people with dementia
a registered nurse visits once a week and a specially trained caregiver visits
an additional 4-5 times per week. The intense oversight and care schedule
helps families stay involved and informed while providing the highest
quality of care.

4. Recognize what’s normal. Forgetfulness is a common symptom of
aging and isn’t always the result of Alzheimer’s or dementia. While
forgetting what you had for dinner last night may be a typical slip of
memory, forgetting how to prepare a favorite meal or putting things in
unusual places are likely symptoms of something more serious. It’s
important to make the distinction between what is normal and what is
not.

5. Stay organized. With multiple physician orders, appointment dates
and medications to take, things can get cluttered and unorganized
quickly. An online tool, like CareTogether, helps keep communication
open between caregivers and family members. CareTogether allows
everyone involved in the care process to access calendar appointments,
health updates and medicine scheduling for the individual. In addition,
CareTogether has condition-specific resources available to further assist
caregivers for specific conditions including dementia.

6. Record changes. Keep track of any changes in behavior and be
prepared to explain the differences to the caregiver team. While
changes may seem insubstantial, they could signify a decline in your
loved one’s health or in many instances, another illness super-imposed
on top of the underlying dementia.

7. Be supportive. Listen to your loved one and respect their needs.
Coping with the diagnosis, symptoms and an overall lifestyle change can
be extremely difficult. Keep communication open and make sure
everyone involved in the care process can communicate their needs,
emotions and even frustrations effectively. Although it may be difficult
to talk openly, it can greatly relieve stress.

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