Are you providing care for your elderly loved one with Alzheimer’s disease? There are a lot of responsibilities that you carry as you care for your loved one, from keeping her safe each day to helping her with personal care tasks to making her feel loved and supported.
Even without professional Alzheimer’s home care support, you may feel like you’ve gotten to a place where you’re comfortable with her occasional outbursts, non-sensical statements, and forgetting about important parts and people in her life. Still, when friends or family want to visit, you are unsure how she’ll behave or even remember them.
Stop and Count Your Blessings
While it can feel stressful to have guests come to the home to visit your elderly loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, take a moment to express gratitude that she has people who want to see her. Being the sole caregiver without Alzheimer’s home care can be frustrating, and feelings of frustration or disappointment in other family members or friends are common.
Instead, try to take a moment to appreciate the offer of a visit and enjoy their visit.
Do a Little Preparation Before They Visit
If you have an Alzheimer’s home care provider who helps you with the daily care of your loved one, your Alzheimer’s home care provider can also help prepare your loved one for her upcoming visitors.
Here are five steps to take before they even knock on the door that may increase the likelihood that your loved one will accurately remember who they are.
- Make sure her day is as stress-free as possible. That may mean serving her favorite food for breakfast or letting her watch the same TV show multiple times. Let her Alzheimer’s home care provider know that rules are a little more flexible today.
- Plan the visit for a time when she’s usually most lucid. If your loved one engages better with others in the morning, schedule them to visit in the morning. If meals are a bad time, make sure they avoid those times.
- Talk about the loved one during the day. Reminiscence about who the person is, why they are important to her, and what things they used to enjoy together. If a grandchild is visiting who she used to cheer on during basketball games, talk about those games.
- Show her photos or videos of the person. Don’t ask her if she remembers the person, simply state the person’s name and the activity such as “Look, here’s a photo of Sally playing a song for you. Isn’t she sweet?”
- Let her know they are coming. Prepare her ahead of time even if she won’t remember by stating throughout the day that they are visiting.
Reminders When a Guest Arrives
Your loved one’s guest may arrive and despite all your preparation, she still won’t remember who they are. Here are some final tips to help her remember.
- Announce them with both their name and who they are to her.
- Talk about what the two of them used to do together or how they know each other. If there was something unique they shared together, mention that to her.
- Don’t shame your loved one if she doesn’t remember. Instead, try to guide the conversation to other things. She might remember when you focus on something else.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s Home Care in Bradenton, FL, please contact the caring staff at Family First Healthcare Services today at (813) 461-8000.
Family First Healthcare Services is a top provider of in-home health services in Tampa, Bradenton, Brandon, Riverview, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Lakewood Ranch, Palmetto, Town ‘n’ Country, Florida, and surrounding areas.
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