Home Care in Cottonwood Heights, UT
According to the Alzheimer's Association, women in their sixties have a one in six chance of developing Alzheimer's disease. This means that no matter how healthy your aging mother is when you first get started on your home care journey with her or whether your family has history of this disease, preparing for the potential of dementia and being aware of behaviors, signs, and symptoms that could indicate that your mother may be dealing with this condition.
Though each person shows the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease differently, experts agree that there are certain behaviors that caregivers should pay close attention to that may help their seniors' doctors determine if they may be in the early stages of the disease. Keeping careful track of these behaviors will help you to better understand your loved ones and clarify if you actually have something to worry about.
Behaviors that you and your parents' in home health care services provider should track if you are concerned that they may have dementia include:
• Judgement issues. One of the most subtle signs of early dementia that appear is poor judgement. These behaviors can be easy to miss, but when you track them carefully you might notice that there is a pattern of these behaviors increasing over time. Look for behaviors such as suddenly spending much more money that they usually do, purchasing things that they would not usually purchase, not understanding safety measures throughout their home or purposely changing things that could put them in danger, or making strange decisions.
• Repetitive behavior. It is normal for people to occasionally forget that they have said something or to go back and check on something that they have already done, but if this is not common for your elderly parents and they suddenly start doing it regularly, take note. Pay attention if your aging mother is repeating her stories or keeps saying the same things to you in a short period of time. Note how often she does this and what types of things she tends to repeat.
• Loss of interest. Everyone has some kind of interest, whether it is a craft, an activity, a sport, or even just watching a special television show. If your parent suddenly starts showing loss of interest in this thing, or does not seem to be as involved in things around her like she usually is, pay close attention. Everyone has an off day, but if she is showing these behaviors on a frequent basis and they seem to be getting worse, take careful note of it.
• Challenges with learning. If you have been trying to teach your parent about something new such as how to use their mobile phone or how their home security system works and she is simply not getting it, write it down. Of course learning new things is not always easy and your parent might need to go over things several times to really catch on, but if she is not making any progress after several sessions, it could be an indication of a serious problem.
Source
https://www.caring.com/articles/early-signs-of-dementia-checklist
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Cottowood Heights, UT, contact the caring staff at Interim Healthcare. Call today 801-401-3515.
