What To Do If Your Parent Gets Diagnosed With Dementia

Senior Assisted Living

When a relative gets a dementia diagnosis, you can have a combination of valid emotions. For instance, you may feel a touch relieved as it is evidence that something has been wrong with your relative for the last few months. You may also feel sad and anxious about the future of your relative. As a senior assisted living business operator, we know that it is normal to feel that way since we deal with many clients like you. Here, we will discuss some initial measures that you may take as you start planning for your relative’s future.

Get Education And Support

You should seek the support that your relative requires so that you can speak for them. The more resources and education you have, the better will be your confidence in your decision-making and planning capabilities. You can start forming a local peer group as it is vital when your relative deals with a future with uncertainty.

Look For Local Support

Seek support groups with an Alzheimer’s Association chapter, a hospital or assisted living home in your area. Those support groups are also likely to be invaluable right through the journey of your relative with dementia.

You can find further educational resources with a program for senior services or an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) location in your place. Those can be helpful when you research support services or tools that offer relief while you undertake different caregiving responsibilities.

You can rely on your relative’s physician for some reliable information, particularly about the present and future medical requirements as well as ways of planning for them.

Involve Your Relative

An increasing number of older adults can actively participate in the planning process for their future due to early dementia diagnoses. It is a great advancement that can empower recently-diagnosed people to be involved in the process, aiding them in maintaining dignity and greater independence.

Examine Your Relative For Safety

Any form of dementia can affect different areas of the human brain. It means that dementia induces beyond just forgetfulness. Dementia can impact executive functions in a way that complicates living alone at home from a safety point of view.

You can change the home environment and personal routine of your relative in a way that helps them deal with the challenges that accompany dementia that comes in an early stage.