Care home residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease require extensive care as their decision-making ability, reasoning, and judgment become poorer with the progression of the disease. A care home must have a trained staff and a structured operation to provide proper care to such residents. Over here, we discuss tips for providing proper care to Alzheimer patients.
1. Communication
Effective communication is the key to ensure residents receive proper care. Unfortunately, this can be a challenge for caregivers as residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease often face difficulty in understanding others.
As a care provider, ensure that the communication between you and the residents is as simple as possible. One good way to do this is to use simple words and ask simple questions. Call the residents by their names to get their attention and remember to make eye contact while having a conversation.
Give enough time for the residents to respond to your questions. Don’t interrupt while they are trying to answer.
2. Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the best ways to improve the overall health of the residents. Simple exercises such as walking, cleaning, and gardening can keep them occupied.
However, do not expect them to complete the tasks as per your expectations. Instead, reward them for even the smallest success. Remember to track their mood as they can get agitated or frustrated too quickly.
3. Diet
Residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease can have an unpredictable nature when it comes to their diet. If they get agitated when asked to complete their meals, cooperate with them. It’s best to serve small meals to them throughout the day rather than serving them with three large meals in a day.
Mealtimes are a good opportunity to encourage social interaction. If the residents have trouble using the utensils, serve the food items in bowls or utensils with no-slip grip handles.
4. Bathing
Bathing can be a confusing or a frightening experience for residents. Never force the residents to bathe when they are frightened, confused or angry.
Use eMAR to improve caregiving
Managing MAR sheets manually is time-consuming. As a result, care workers find it challenging to devote time for personal care to the residents. eMAR, a smart alternative to MAR sheets, streamlines medication administration and saves care workers’ time.
Learn more about eMAR at https://www.electronicmar.co.uk.
