Dementia as common as it may occur often goes misinterpreted. At Freedom Home Care, your home care agency, we are here to provide you with some answers to questions you might have. Find out all about dementia here. Dementia is a progressive brain syndrome that affects someone’s memory, thinking, emotion, and behavior. Because dementia affects major body functions, it is the leading cause of disability amongst older people. Dementia may be experienced differently depending on the person affected because each case is dealt in its own way. With over 100 forms of dementia, it is normal for some
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Archives for Dementia Care
5 Books on Caring for Aging Parents and Grandparents
The National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP estimated that about 34.2 million Americans have provided care to an adult 50 or older. The Alzheimer’s Association found that approximately 15.7 million adult family caregivers have cared for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s. Caring for aging parents, grandparents, family or friends is becoming a common experience. Many of us find reading stories from other caregivers helpful to understand and prepare for care-giving duties. Below are a couple books that depict the challenges of caring for seniors. “The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias,
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Caregiver Tips for Traveling with a Loved One with Dementia
Has a loved one been diagnosed with dementia? Living with dementia may require some adjustments and will mean taking extra precautions in order to ensure your loved one stays safe and continues to enjoy the lifestyle they love. Freedom Home Care has put together the following tips for caregivers and family members who are planning travel for someone with dementia: Decide if Travel is Appropriate Be sure to consider if travel is appropriate. It is important for seniors with dementia to have the opportunity to visit family and other loved ones, but gauging if it is appropriate is important in
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Gifts For People with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
With a little bit of time and the right amount of planning, finding that special gift for your loved one with dementia can be less of a challenge than you think. Depending on the stage and type of dementia your senior has, it’s best to try to focus on buying gifts that are encouraging and beneficial to them as a person and their overall lifestyle. It’s always nice to get things that you want – after all, isn’t that why we make Christmas lists in the first place? A senior loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia is no different. But
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Technology for Dementia
As a home care agency or those of you who are familiar with Dementia, you know it is not easy to watch your loved ones suffer from this disease. You often wonder if it is safe for them to live alone, or how much longer can they live alone. You know that with Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia that as the progression advances so do the risks. At Freedom Home Care, we believe that for people suffering with these diseases, doing daily routines and activities can help go a long way with your loved ones feeling comfortable. With
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Ways to Volunteer With Seniors for the Holidays
Giving to others is one of the most rewarding aspects of the holiday season. And what better way to make a difference in the life of a senior than by volunteering your time. Most of us will be surrounded by family and friends this season, but for many seniors, this may not be a reality. Volunteering to offer a little time to meet the needs of a senior who lives alone, could be the very thing that makes their holiday a little bit brighter. If you’re wondering how you can make a difference in the lives of others, consider volunteering
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New Symptom Might Be Early Detection of Dementia
Researchers may have found a new way to detect dementia even before it affects the memory. A study was recently conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota over a 3.5 year period which involved more than 1,400 mentally healthy adults – each about 79 years of age. Each participant was given a test that involved smelling six food-related and six non-food related scents. The results showed that those with the decreasing ability to identify smells over time were more likely to experience Alzheimer’s and other memory problems. During that time, 250 participants experienced mild cognitive impairment, while 64 people out
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Activities For Alzheimer's Patients
In order to help loved ones with dementia continue to lead a good, quality life and achieve purpose and pleasure, it’s important that they continually engage in activities that will stimulate them mentally, physically and emotionally. Many times those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are under-stimulated in their daily lives which can lead to a number of things like loss of focus and attention, interrupted sleep patterns, anxiety and depression, and behavioral challenges including repetitive questioning, shadowing and agitation. It’s common, in the first stages of Alzheimer’s, for loved ones to stop doing the things that they once enjoyed. That doesn’t mean they no
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Myths About Dementia
It’s all too common for us as human beings to try to come up with ways to make sense of things we don’t understand. Since we don’t fully understand diseases like dementia, myths can sometimes take the place of the truth. However, it’s important to remember that the people we love, who suffer from dementia, stand to benefit the most when we learn the facts about the disease. Here’s a list that Freedom Home Care created to help clear up some of the misunderstandings that you or people that you know may have about dementia: Dementia Only Affects Seniors Many people believe that dementia is a condition that
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An App To Access Dementia Friendly Communities
What if there were a way to make living at home with dementia more suitable for your senior? Developers in Australia are doing just that with a new app that offers caregivers, their patients, and loved ones the capability of creating an accessible environment at home for those with dementia. Back in 2016, researchers from Deakin Software and Technology Innovation Laboratory partnered up with Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria to develop interactive 3D game technology enabling caregivers to help make homes more dementia-friendly. According to the statistics, more than 47 million people worldwide are living with some form of the disease. And
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