Alzheimer's patients don't get to choose... - Monitor Online (blog)

Monitor Photo/Ronald Wheeler

Home Instead Senior Care director Sharon Strickland speaks to Rotarians April 12 about Alzheimer’s and its effects on family members.

By Robyn Wheeler

Monitor Staff Writer

GUN BARREL CITY–Mabank Home Instead Senior Care director Sharon Strickland asked Rotarians to write down four words or phrases describing themselves, each on a separate card. After randomly choosing one card from each member, Strickland began reading the information on the cards.

“Alzheimer’s patients do not get to pick and choose the facts they want to forget,” Strickland demonstrated.

“Those suffering from Alzheimer’s don’t want to forget their favorite color, parents names or favorite hobby,” she stressed.

Strickland is no stranger to Alzheimers as she witnessed its effects on her grandmother prior to her death and now on her elderly mother.

“There is no test to determine Alzheimer’s without performing an autopsy,” she said. “But no one dies from Alzheimer’s, they die from a stroke or heart failure or other illness.”

More then 5 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimers, and it affects one in eight persons 65 years and older.

Home Instead Senior Care provides in-home care to the elderly and 25 of the 40 caregivers at the Mabank office are certified to deal with Alzheimer’s patients.

Home Instead Senior Care provides light housekeeping duties, meal preparation, pet care assistance, help with dressing, bathing and grooming, and much more.

All caregivers are thoroughly screened, insured and bonded and trained extensively.

Strickland says managing an Alzheimer’s patients behavior can be trying and exhausting.

“You will never win an argument with an Alzheimer’s patient, so accept the blame for everything,” Strickland says.

Others methods of dealing with dementia is to redirect the patient’s attention to something else, wait a few minutes and then attempt to return to the particular task, like feeding or bathing.

Home Instead Senior Care is located in Mabank, Athens and Canton.

For more information regarding managing an Alzheimer’s patient or Home Instead services, call toll free (866) 880-5025 or go to www.homeinstead.com.

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