Alzheimer’s

The emotional impact of Alzheimer’s disease on you and your family can be overwhelming as your loved one exhibits symptoms such as wandering, physical and emotional decline, and behavioral changes. However, you don’t have to go through this alone.

It’s crucial to have an experienced caregiver to monitor and support your loved one through the progression of their condition. In addition to physical care, they require professionals who can meet their emotional needs. At AmeriChoice, our caregivers can:

• Ensure they don’t miss a dose of their medications
• Prepare delicious and nutritious meals tailored to their condition
• Help with their daily living activities
• Accompany them to doctor’s appointments to ensure they don’t get lost and never miss an appointment
• Offer warm and affectionate companionship

Get to Know Dementia Better

Dementia is a broad term describing various brain diseases that can impair cognitive abilities. It is worth noting that Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for 60%-70% of dementia cases.

Is Your Loved One Showing Signs of Dementia?

Here are some indications that your loved one may be experiencing dementia:

• Wandering
• Confusion
• Feeling lost in familiar places
• Difficulty keeping track of time
• Forgetfulness/li>

As the Condition Progresses:

• Trouble remembering names and faces
• Repeating questions
• Struggling with daily activities
• Experiencing delusions or hallucinations
• Difficulty recognizing people and places

In the Advanced Stages:

• Difficulty recognizing familiar faces or locations
• Aggression
• Depression
• Confusion about time and events

Caring for Your Memory

Forgetting a name, misplacing keys, or wondering if you’ve turned off the faucet can be frustrating as you age. However, these experiences don’t necessarily indicate early Alzheimer’s disease. Serious memory problems caused by Alzheimer’s can affect daily activities like shopping, showering, and finances.

What is Memory?

Memory is the ability to recall information or experiences and is generally categorized as short-term or long-term. With short-term memory, the brain stores information for just a few seconds or a few minutes. Short-term memory is intended only as temporary storage, so the brain always has room for new information.

Long-term memory involves information that is retained over an extended period of time. If it can be recalled after a few minutes or a few decades, it is considered to be a long-term memory.

What are some signs of memory problems?

Signs of serious memory problems can include:

• Asking the same questions repeatedly
• Becoming confused about time, people, and places
• Becoming lost in places you’re familiar with
• Having difficulty with following directions
• Ignoring hygiene, forgetting to eat, or acting unsafely

Why Does Aging Affect Memory?

There are several reasons why aging brains experience changes in their ability to retain and retrieve memories:

• The hippocampus—a part of the brain that is crucial to memory formation and information retention—is especially vulnerable to age-related deterioration.
• There is a loss of neurons (cells that transmit nerve signals) as you age that can affect the activity of chemicals called neurotransmitters.
• Older patients frequently experience decreased blood flow to the brain and process brain-enhancing nutrients less efficiently than younger individuals.

How Can Memory Be Improved?

Memory is a lot like muscle strength: the more you exercise your brain, the more you’ll be able to do what you need to do (in this case, process and remember information). Here are a few tips for giving your brain a healthy workout:

• Take a course in a subject you’re unfamiliar with, learn a new language or engage in games that require strategic thinking.
• Think about things from a different perspective, such as understanding the other side of a political argument.
• Try doing usual routines in unusual ways, such as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, to activate new neural connections.

In addition to exercising your brain, there are some basic things you can do to maintain or improve your ability to recall and retrieve memories:

• Make associations with something already familiar.
• Pay careful attention to the information you want to hold on to.
• Understand your learning style; some people learn best by seeing, reading, or touching, while others learn best through hearing.
• Write important information down in a calendar, an address book, or a datebook to keep in a place you’ll remember.

What Are Some Healthy Habits That Will Improve Memory?

• Get enough sleep for memory consolidation.
• Get regular exercise to increase oxygen to the brain and decrease the risk of developing conditions that can lead to memory loss.
• Limit heavy alcohol use to avoid permanent effects on the brain, including persistent memory problems, mental confusion, and psychosis.
• Manage stress to control levels of cortisol, a hormone that can damage the brain if left unchecked.
• Quit smoking to reduce the risk of vascular conditions that can result in stroke and narrowed arteries.

By getting enough sleep, staying active, and avoiding potentially harmful lifestyle choices, you can keep your brain sharp and memories intact for years to come.

Your loved one can get the expert help they need when you enlist the help of our care team.

If you have any queries or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us.