Address the Importance of Personal Care Services During World Alzheimer’s Month

For many Alzheimer’s patients, it starts as mild cognitive impairment and progresses through the early, mid, and late stages of the disease. During these stages, some level of help is essential. One of the first is to have someone else do the driving.

As your mom’s disease progresses, you need to also make sure she is supported by personal care aides. Here are the things that caregivers will help her do and why it’s so important.

Oral Care

Your mom has forgotten how to brush her teeth. She doesn’t floss correctly. When she tries to brush her teeth, she’ll brush the same section over and over. Your mom can’t keep track of where she’s brushed her teeth and what’s remaining. 

Hire personal care aides to brush your mom’s teeth. They can help her with brushing and then flossing them after. If she uses a mouth rinse for oral care, they’ll guide her through rinsing her mouth and spitting it out after.

Dressing

Your mom isn’t going to remember what month or season it is. You’ll find her trying to put on a heavy sweater on the hottest day of the summer or a t-shirt in the middle of winter. She simply has no concept of dressing for the weather anymore.

Her personal care aide can help her choose appropriate attire and assist her as she gets dressed. Your mom might find it difficult to tie her shoes, zip a zipper, or button her shirt or pants. Caregivers can help her.

Showering

Your mom often forgets to shower. She’s gone several days and is starting to smell. Caregivers can coach her into taking a shower, washing her body properly, and helping her dry off and apply moisturizer after. 

It’s common for people with Alzheimer’s to lose the ability to read. So it’s not unusual if your mom tries to use body wash for moisturizer or a tube of antibiotic cream as toothpaste. You want to make sure she doesn’t make these mistakes and put her safety at risk. Personal care aides can make sure she’s using the right items for personal care.

Toileting Care

In the middle stages of Alzheimer’s, your mom may start failing to properly clean herself after she uses the toilet. She might have accidents and require help getting cleaned up and into clean clothing. If she doesn’t remember how to clean up or what stage she was in, she risks a UTI.

People who have Alzheimer’s may not experience the typical signs of a UTI. You’re used to frequent urination and complaints of burning. Your mom may not verbalize those. Instead, her UTI makes her more confused, agitated, and even angry. It’s important that she has help with toileting to prevent UTIs.

Discover the benefits of personal care at home services while your mom goes through the different stages of Alzheimer’s. She’ll have the assistance she needs in choosing appropriate outfits each day, getting showered and dressed, and many other areas of hygiene and grooming. A personal care at home advisor can help you get started.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Personal Care at Home in Galt, CA please contact the caring staff at Aging Assistant today. (916) 897-4752