Five Tips for When Your Senior Doesn’t Know She Has Alzheimer’s Disease

When your senior has Alzheimer’s disease, that changes life for both of you. It’s even more difficult when she doesn’t realize what she’s experiencing.

Avoid Talking Down to Her

There may be times that your senior acts or behaves in a way that makes you want to talk to her as if she’s a child. But that’s a big mistake. Remember that she’s an adult with a cognitive illness and that she deserves to maintain her dignity as much as possible.

Mind Your Tone

Something else to remember is that your senior may not understand why you’re giving her certain instructions, but she does understand your tone of voice, the volume you’re using, and the body language you’re displaying. The undercurrents are there, even if she doesn’t fully understand why. Keep your tone of voice even and use open and loving body language and facial expressions. She will respond to those.

Choices Will Solve a Lot of Issues

There’s a lot about Alzheimer’s disease that steals control from your senior. That’s frustrating, even if she doesn’t fully understand how or why. One answer that can solve more problems than you might expect is to give her choices. They don’t have to be big choices, either. Simple things like, “Do you want to wear this shirt or this one?” can create a lot more calm for her.

Give up on Being Right

Your senior is in a different reality right now than you are or than she’s experienced in the past. She’s going to do and say some odd things that don’t match up with reality as it exists. If you harp on that, it’s going to frustrate her. So many situations are much easier to just agree with and move on, otherwise you’ll create an argument where one doesn’t need to exist.

You’ll Experience Stress

This is not going to be easy at all. Caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease involves a great many situations that create stress. Take care of yourself so that you can take better care of her as well. Working with home care providers allows you to take time away that you very definitely need.

There may never be a time that your senior understands that she is dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, but that’s not the important part at this point. How you help her to stay as safe and as healthy as possible is what’s important.

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