If you are caring for your parent who has late-stage Alzheimer's disease, then you are to be commended. Caring for those people who are in the later stages of this tragic disease can be very challenging for even the most loving of caregivers. While there are many day-to-day caregiving challenges in helping to care for those with memory-affecting diseases, those challenges can greatly change as the disease progresses to its last stages. To help you provide the best care for your parent during this time, here are some caregiving tips for those with late-stage Alzheimer's disease:
Tip: Learn to Recognize Non-Verbal Signs of Pain
Since the last thing you want is for your parent to experience pain, it is important that you learn the non-verbal signs of pain. Always be on the lookout for these signs of pain in someone with late-stage Alzheimer's disease:
- increased agitation
- anxiety
- inability to sleep
- yelling
In addition, someone with pain will also often grimace and make other unusual facial expressions in an attempt to communicate their pain to you.
Tip: Limit Fluids in the Evening to Help Prevent Bed Wetting
Fluids move much more quickly through the human body than food does. For this reason, you should limit your parent's intake of fluids in the last hours before their bedtime. If you do this, then you will not have as many problems with bed wetting through their adult diapers as you otherwise would.
Tip: Provide Your Parent with a Selection of Their Favorite Food and Drinks
Since those people who have a memory impairment will often forget to eat and drink, it is important that you frequently offer your parent food and drink options that they like. By making the extra effort to offer your parent the drinks and foods that they really like, you are helping to encourage them to eat and drink more often. This is important in preventing constipation and weight loss problems.
Tip: Consider Moving Your Parent to a Professional Caregiving Setting
Finally, if you begin to feel overwhelmed with trying to care for your parent around the clock at home, then you should consider moving them into a memory care living situation or a nursing home if appropriate. Since your parent's memory limits their ability to remember you and communicate their needs with you, a professional setting will allow you to get sufficient rest and then spend quality time with your parent during their more lucid times of the day.
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