As Alzheimer’s progresses to later stages of the disease, some seniors will experience agitation. Your senior loved one may express this feeling with physical or verbal outbursts, restlessness, yelling, pacing, or general emotional distress. Learning to prevent agitation before it occurs can help you provide your parent with the best care possible.
Create a Calm Environment
Too much noise, a cluttered space, or even the distraction of a television being on could overwhelm your loved one’s senses. To help your loved one feel more peaceful in his or her environment, make sure the home is clean and free of clutter, eliminate background noise, and minimize the use of technological devices.
Caring for senior loved ones can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Home Care Assistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care.
Exercise with Your Loved One Daily
Exercise can help your loved one stay calm. This could include taking a short daily walk, doing some light gardening, swimming at a local gym, or dancing to upbeat music. Exercising together can also help your loved one feel more secure in his or her daily routine.
In addition to soothing agitation caused by Alzheimer’s, exercise can also reduce the risk of other diseases. If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of elder care Edmonton, AB, families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Check for Physical Problems
Your loved one may become agitated if he or she needs to use the restroom, or he or she may be hungry, thirsty, too hot, or too cold. Try communicating with your loved one and offer solutions to physical problems to reduce agitation and possibly prevent it from occurring in the future.
Talk with Your Loved One’s Doctor
If your loved one’s agitation appears suddenly, his or her doctor should perform a thorough medical examination. Your loved one may have an underlying condition, such as a urinary tract infection, that’s causing this behaviour. Agitation can also appear as a side effect of medications that may be able to be changed. Additionally, uncorrected problems with hearing or vision can also impact your loved one’s behaviour.
If your elderly loved one is living with Alzheimer’s and needs help managing the symptoms, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of Alzheimer’s care. Edmonton seniors can rely on our revolutionary Cognitive Therapeutics Method (CTM), an activities-based program that promotes cognitive health and delays the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. CTM also encourages seniors to engage with others in an enjoyable way and helps them build new routines to look forward to. Call us at (780) 490-7337 today to talk to one of our compassionate Care Managers about our high-quality home care services.