If you have a parent that has dementia, they will eventually not be able to take care of themselves at all. This does happen in stages, however, and at first your parent will seem fine but as time goes by their symptoms change and they get worse. This is at the point where you must decide if you need to hire assisted living or do this on your own. Below is information about this to help you make a decision.
Becoming Overly Aggressive
Some people with dementia may stay calm throughout the disease but many will be overly aggressive. This may be all the time or only a few hours each day. No matter how often, however, your parent can injure themselves, as well as injure people in the home near them.
You would have to watch your parent nonstop with this aggression to ensure they do not hurt themselves or anyone else. If you do not have time to do this then you should put your parent in an assisted living facility.
Problems with Mobility
As your parent reaches the end stages of this disease they will have problems with mobility. This can be dangerous for both you and your parent. For example, if you are a petite person and your parent is not you would have a difficult time lifting them to get to the bathroom several times a day. An assisted living facility is equipped in handling their needs as they have the equipment that can be used, the strength and training. If your parent is overweight the facility will have more than one person available to do the lifting and other types of caring that you would not have at home.
It can be easy for someone frail to break a bone, such as their hip, arm, etc., Having to go to the hospital if you parent were to fall would put them through a lot of stress. This is because your parent would not understand what is going on.
Too Stressful
It is very stressful to take care of a parent that has dementia, especially if you do not have family members of friends that can help you. People with dementia generally have problems with sleep and will not sleep well at night, which means they will keep you up at night, which can lead to a lot of stress.
Over time stress can be very bad for your health and can cause things like depression, irritability, and even a heart attack.
Talk with a few assisted living facilities in your area to learn much more on how they can help you and your parent.
Older adults sometimes see nursing care as an all-or-nothing scenario. They assume they are either at home living independently, or they are in a nursing home where everything is done for them. This is not really the case, however. There are plenty of in-between options for older adults who need some care, but who may not need full nursing assistance yet. Assisted living centers allow this flexibility. Your older loved one can simply have their meals provided for them, or they can have around-the-clock care — or somewhere in-between. We invite you to explore the content provided to learn more.