Right Time to Move your Elderly Suffering from Alzheimer to Long Term Care Homes

Taking care of an elder person is an emotional journey which becomes even more difficult when the elderly one is suffering from diseases like Alzheimer and dementia. Long term care homes play an important role in taking care of these patients. This is because in such circumstances, elder people need more attention and care to cope up with disease. It is very common that taking care of elderly one costs your well-being too as you see them suffering from mental dysfunctionality. This is the reason, people taking care of Alzheimer patients often find themselves depressed and stressful. 

Long term care homes are specifically designed to help elder people carry out their routine tasks with ease and dignity. But moving the elder one to a long term care facilities in Toronto is not an easy task to do. You may feel anxious and guilty in moving them as brushing off their responsibility from your shoulders. You have to decide when is the right time to move them to a care facility because moving them is not always the right option. There are certain conditions that let you decide if it is the right move or not. This article highlights when and why to move the elder one to long term care homes. 

Stage of Disease

The first thing that you should keep in mind is the stage of the disease. After that you need to decide whether your elder ones really need to move to a home long term care facility or not. Alzheimer’s has three stages and people can live as long as they take care of themselves (usually 20 years). At the first stage, people suffer from little memory loss and in some cases find difficulty doing particular things but they can lead a normal life. Their mental condition is not as deteriorated and they can make their own decision of moving to home care facility or not. 

In the second stage, the symptoms become prominent. The symptoms include confusion, personality changes, memory loses, sleep schedule changes and bowel disturbances. At this stage, home care is acceptable. With a little care, you can make it easier for elderly people to carry out their routine work and support them mentally. 

Then comes the last stage of Alzheimer. In the last stage, the condition becomes worse as the person loses control of their mind that also causes movement problems. At this stage, they require a lot of care and 24/7 attention. They become more exposed to diseases and find difficulty in communication. Major incidents can happen if the person with the last stage of Alzheimer is left all alone. The first and second stage do not require the movement to long term homes but by the time third stage is reached, the decision becomes crucial. 

Need for Support

The best person that can be your guide in this perspective is the doctor who is examining your elder one suffering from Alzheimer.  He can guide you the condition of the patient at a certain stage by looking at the symptoms. Some need early care because of the worsening condition. So, depending on the symptoms or movement, the decision is made. As everyone is busy in their daily life routine, it becomes difficult for one person to take care of an Alzheimer patient. But if the family member manages to take care of the elder one by giving dedicated and divided time, then a long term care facility in Toronto might not be required. 

Moreover, taking care of the patient in the last stage is a huge responsibility. They need support in little daily life activities such cooking, shower, cleaning and in critical situations getting out of bed too. So, double responsibility falls on the shoulders of family members that can be exhausted. It should not be taken lightly so you can go for help from home care facilities to lower your stress. 

Safety Precautions

If you are planning to care of elder person with Alzheimer’s at home, then you need to know whether it is safe for you and them to carry out the care at home or not. Looking for a elder people requires strong will as people get into depression while taking care of them. Your visits to recreational activities become fewer because there is someone at home that requires your 24/7 attention. 

As the Alzheimer patient suffers from memory losses, they need special attention as they forget to do things and put their life at risk. These include leaving the stove on, sometimes pan on the stove, slipping on the floor or leaving the iron on after pressing clothes. These things really put their lives at risk. If you are co-incidentally out and there is no one to look for them, you and or your elder one can suffer from a major accident. 

Diet and Health

The health of the people suffering from Alzheimer depends on their diet and the scheduled time of their meal.  If your routine is too busy that you have to stay out for longer hours, then their health will be affected because they are not able to cook or get food themselves. So, you need someone to look for their diet schedule and help them in carrying out daily activities. If in-home care can help you can go for it but if it requires 24/7 attention, long term care homes will do good. 

Conclusion

Alzheimer patients require proper attention especially when they are in the last stages. They are not in condition to carry out their daily activities and a dedicated person is needed to assist them. If you have the budget to afford long term care homes, then go for it. Make up the mind of your elder one and move them to home care facility for their health and good.