Dementia Care San Clemente Helps Make Life A Little Easier

| Thursday, April 28, 2011
By Evangeline Lindsey


Seeing a much-loved family member start to lose mental capacity can be both frightening and distressing. Many times, the family member is elderly, and may undergo a deterioration of memory, reasoning, and normal thinking. This condition is almost always irreversible when caused by disease, and can have a totally debilitating effect on language, simple decision-making, and basic learning. For families and patients who need assistance on a daily basis, dementia care San Clemente can help.

The most common cause, Alzheimer's disease, is relatively well-known. Other conditions can mimic the effects of dementia, including Parkinson's disease. Those who have undergone a series of small strokes often show similar behavior changes. Uncontrolled drug use, whether recreational or prescription, can cause a loss in cognition, as can some effects of long-term depression.

While some of these disorders can be helped or reversed, up to 70% are caused by or related to Alzheimer's disease. Somewhere around 5-8% of all seniors over age 65 experience them in some form, and half of all those who survive past age 85 show signs of related symptoms. Because people in general live longer today, many families will face, or are already facing the prospect of an elderly loved one beginning to lose some thinking capacity.

Many of these patients realize that they are losing some of their mental abilities, and are much happier when they can remain in their own homes as long as possible, surrounded by familiar and comforting people and objects. They may, however, need need to have their physical surroundings assessed by an occupational therapist who can recommend safety adaptations, such as bathroom handrails.

Round-the-clock management and supervision is often required as the condition advances. This means that someone, often an adult child, is responsible for helping that victim remain as fit and healthy as possible, even while gradually growing worse. The main goal is often to make this stage of life as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible for all involved.

The stress involved can easily become physically and mentally overwhelming. Children, a spouse or employer can all make additional demands, and taking on the responsibility of everyone's needs is often exhausting. Those who nurse a loved one full time are in such demand that personal neglect sometimes becomes an issue. People living in this situation must be able to regularly take the time to handle personal affairs, and to experience periods of guilt-free relaxation.

For some, this may not be possible, and in these instances those who specialize in dementia care San Clemente can help. The amount of physical and mental deterioration associated with this condition varies widely, and it is essential to get a working nurses assessment and treatment plan. Much support comes from family and friends, in addition to local support groups or online forums. When round-the-clock care becomes necessary, however, the burden need not fall squarely on the shoulders on one person alone.

dementia care San Clemente




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1 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing this Dementia care,Because providing home care for senior citizens with Dementia and Alzheimer's disease can be difficult.But in this article I get the best home care for someone with these kind of disease.

Dementia Clinic

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