How to Help a Loved One With Alzheimer’s Disease
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Is someone close to you suffering from Alzheimer's disease, or are you worried that they might? In 2023, an estimated 6.7 million Americans currently live with Alzheimer’s disease, with that number expected to nearly triple by 2060. Learn about the illness's symptoms, what to do if someone you care about has it, and what to expect as the disease proceeds through its natural stages.
Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s
How can you tell whether someone has Alzheimer's disease? Mild Alzheimer's disease symptoms include:
■ Repeating a question again and again
■ Repeating a story word for word
■ Forgetting how to do basic everyday activities, such as cooking, making repairs, or playing card games
■ Becoming unable to pay bills or balance a checkbook
■ Getting lost in familiar places
■ Neglecting to bathe or shower or wearing the same clothes repeatedly and insisting that this is not happening
■ Becoming confused and forgetting the names of people, places, recent events, or appointments
■ Relying on others to make decisions previously made independently
Differentiating Alzheimer’s from Normal Memory Loss
Short-term memory loss is one of the disease's early symptoms. However, as we age, some memory loss is expected. The usual, mild age-related memory loss is referred to as "age-associated memory impairment" (AAMI). AAMI differs from dementia, particularly Alzheimer's, in that it does not deteriorate with time and does not tend to impair people like Alzheimer's does.
Common Changes as the Disease Progresses
Alzheimer's is a progressive illness. It begins with moderate memory loss and progresses to severe brain damage. The disease's progression pace varies, as does its course. People with Alzheimer's disease survive for four to eight years following the average diagnosis but can live for up to 20 years, depending on other circumstances.
Middle Stage
As Alzheimer's disease advances, the alterations become more apparent. People suffering from the condition will require additional assistance in their daily lives. They may need to be reminded to eat, wash, or change their clothes. They may misidentify people or mistake them for others. They are prone to being quickly agitated, annoyed, or angry.
Other middle-stage symptoms include:
■ Wandering off and getting lost
■ Mixing up night and day
■ Experiencing hallucinations, such as: seeing, hearing, smelling or tasting things that are not there
■ Being restless, as exhibited by: pacing, trying doorknobs, or touching draperies
■ Becoming a safety risk when alone because of forgetfulness; forgetting, for instance, to light the stove after turning on the gas or forgetting to shut it off
Severe or Late Stage
At the most advanced stage, a person with Alzheimer's disease will completely depend on others for nursing care. They may lose recognition of familiar items, settings, or even close family.
Other late-stage indications include:
■ Being difficult to understand, speaking gibberish
■ Being physically frail
■ Losing weight
■ Losing control of bowel and bladder
■ Being too unsteady or weak to walk or stand alone
■ Crying out, groaning, screaming, or mumbling loudly
■ Sleeping more
Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care
A single factor does not cause Alzheimer's disease. Various factors, including age, genetics, environment, food, and general health, may all play a role. Often, a diagnosis is determined by ruling out other possible explanations for symptoms. Alzheimer's disease presently has no cure. Nevertheless, specific pharmacological therapies may alleviate symptoms or decrease the progression of the illness in people with mild to severe dementia.
While caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease, it's essential to strive to help him or her live as independently as possible for as long as feasible. Although you may be tempted to do things for them, people with dementia who can accomplish things alone are likelier to maintain a sense of self-worth. If required, you can assist by offering emotional support and reassurance. As dementia advances, the person suffering from it may require greater assistance with daily chores such as washing, bathing, and dressing. You may eventually need to seek outside resources.
What You Can Do to Maintain the Brain
Although there is no treatment for Alzheimer's, research has shown that lifestyle modifications can reduce the risk of acquiring the illness or postpone its development. The Alzheimer's Association has several resources for ways to promote physical and mental activity, nutritious eating, and overall good habits.
Physical exercise
Stay active, walk daily, and work out.
Mental stimulation
Read, converse, work on crossword puzzles, play Scrabble, play cards, take a class.
Nutrition
In addition to maintaining a well-rounded diet, take a multivitamin that includes folic acid and vitamins E and C, and eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Good health habits
Maintain a healthy body weight, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels low, and avoid smoking.
What You Can Do Medically
See your family doctor if you suspect you or someone close to you has Alzheimer's. Your primary care physician may refer you to a specialist, such as a psychiatrist or a neurologist, for assistance in making a diagnosis.
An early diagnosis may help you or a loved one plan ahead of time, find sources of information and support, and have earlier access to therapies. Alzheimer's disease cannot be diagnosed with a single test. However, a thorough medical and neurological examination will help rule out other concerns such as illness, vitamin insufficiency, depression, thyroid issues, or brain tumors. A brain scan, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may aid in determining what is going on in the brain. A blood test, urinalysis, an electroencephalogram (EEG), and memory and cognitive abilities assessments are examples of medical testing.
Relatives or health care professionals such as social workers, nurses, therapists, and case managers can offer medical care to patients with Alzheimer's at home. It can also be delivered at an adult daycare center or nursing home. As the condition worsens, you or a loved one may consider all these possibilities.
What You Can Do Legally and Financially
Because Alzheimer's disease causes a predicted deterioration in a person's mental capacity, making the most of the time before you or your loved one cannot make vital decisions is critical. After a person with Alzheimer's disease has lost mental capacity, it is too late to appoint someone to make healthcare, financial, and estate-planning choices for them.
Consider taking these steps soon:
Advance Directive
This could be a power of attorney or a health care proxy. A power of attorney will allow someone else to make key financial and estate planning decisions. A healthcare proxy will empower family members or close friends to make healthcare decisions as needed.
Estate inventory
Before conducting estate planning, inventory the available resources, including income and assets, health insurance, and community resources.
Estate planning
Have an estate planning expert create or update a will and other estate planning documents, such as a living will or trust.
Important Disclosures
This material is provided for general and educational purposes only and is not investment advice. Your investments should correspond to your financial needs, goals, and risk tolerance. Please consult an investment professional before making any investment or financial decisions or purchasing any financial, securities, or investment-related service or product, including any investment product or service described in these materials.
Portions of this article were sourced from the work of MFS Heritage Planning. Neither MFS nor any of its subsidiaries are affiliated with Optima Capital Management.
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