Dealing with Dementia Diagnosis

No one wants to receive a dementia diagnosis. At that moment, life changes forever. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease include a series of symptoms that are not a normal part of aging. For example, memory loss is the most common, but it isn’t about forgetting a friend’s name. It is failing to remember it later when you want to. Other symptoms include a loss of understanding or judgment, decreased decision-making ability, and personality changes. Early detection gives you and your senior loved one the best opportunity for proper care. It is possible to live independently even with dementia, especially when you enlist the services of a dementia care and memory care professional.

6 Steps to Meeting the Challenges of a Dementia Diagnosis

The first step to take with a dementia diagnosis is to understand that life will grow more complicated as things progress. The second step is to reassure yourself that the situation is not hopeless. On the contrary, you can be ready for the fight when you take these additional steps:

1. Research, research, research: Learn all you can about the disease, its symptoms, and best practices that can help you ensure quality of life for your loved one. There are many resources available, including in-home dementia care.
2. Encourage Mom to Focus on What She Can Do: A dementia diagnosis doesn’t mean Mom must stop living her life. She can focus on those things she can still do. For example, does she love to crochet or have another hobby she enjoys? Encourage her to keep doing it. Playing a musical instrument can be a therapeutic experience to calm her and also help her focus her mental energy.
3. Help Dad Stay Involved in Activities that Give Him Pleasure: If your father has always enjoyed playing poker with his buddies, encourage him to continue. Does he like caring for birds in his backyard? Help him set up feeders, so he can keep them fed and happy. Staying active is a huge boost to a dementia patient’s emotional wellbeing.
4. Make Nutrition and Physical Activity a Priority: Eating healthy and exercising is vital at all stages in life. It is crucial when suffering from a memory loss disease. When you struggle to give your senior good meals and opportunities for exercise because of your schedule, a personal senior caregiver can help.
5. Please Talk About the Future: Estate planning helps ensure that their wishes are respected when someone dies. Dementia adds a new level of needs for wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. You can both rest easier if these items are taken care of before the disease gets too bad.
6. Enlist Support: Talk to your family about Dad’s diagnosis and care requirements. See how you and your siblings can support each other and your parent. Look for caregiver support groups, as well as other in-home services to let Dad age in place for as long as possible.

Find Excellent Support through Home Instead

Avoid letting a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s hinder you and your loved one. Help them enjoy life as fully as possible by enlisting the customized homecare services of Home Instead Hamilton. Our professional caregivers are well-trained to support you and your family with companionship, cooking nutritious meals, and light exercise routines, including walks. We understand that this diagnosis may leave you with more questions than answers, and we’re here to help.

Call us at (905) 521-5500 to schedule a no-obligation, in-home consultation. Learn more about the compassionate, quality senior care we deliver, every day, to families in Hamilton Mountain, Downtown Hamilton, Rosedale, Kings Forest, Binbrook, Meadowlands, Ancaster, and Dundas.