Mom has Alzheimer’s. Now What?

Mom has Alzheimer’s. Now What?

Home Instead Senior Care offers World-Class Training for Family Caregivers & Loved Ones

Linn County LIVING WELL Magazine

Now what? More and more families and loved ones will be asking themselves this same question. Currently in America one in eight seniors over the age of 65 is living with Alzheimer’s disease, and nearly half of individuals 85 and older have Alzheimer’s.* To help families take better care of their loved one Home Instead Senior Care has developed a new approach for the care of people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Instead of focusing on the symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and possible cures for Alzheimer’s – Home Instead’s emphasis is on the care and dignity of the individual to help them live a more fulfilling life. Through this unique approach, caregivers immerse themselves in the lives of the one struggling with dementia to connect with them and develop trusted relationships

Home Instead Senior Care knows through national research and working with seniors throughout the world that families have two significant challenges when caring for their loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias: keeping their loved one’s mind engaged and managing behaviors that can include belligerence and aggression.

Home Instead has assembled the top Alzheimer’s experts in North America to develop this person-centered approach. The Alzheimer’s CARE Program is based on author David Troxel’s best friends approach to Alzheimer’s Care – which encourages caregivers to capture a senior’s life journey and use that information to relate to them personally and care for them as individuals.

People with Alzheimer’s have limited or no short-term memory – they can only live in the past. When you try to force them to live in the here and now, they can become uncooperative and difficult. At the core of the Alzheimer’s CARE Program is our exclusive Capturing Life’s Journey LifeJournal – a special tool to help caregivers and family members capture the senior’s life story and learn who they are as individuals. The stories and life experiences gathered in the LifeJournal are used to provide personalized care to help mental stimulation, manage behaviors and give seniors with Alzheimer’s an opportunity to live fulfilling lives.

As part of Home Instead Senior Care’s continuing effort to change the face of aging, Home Instead is offering Alzheimer’s CARE training FREE of charge to all families – even those who don’t use Home Instead’s services. Helping family caregivers is a priority, because most are in desperate need of solutions. The free training includes: the Capturing Life’s Journey booklet; online training resources; and local training workshops.

For more information about the program call Home Instead at 247-0400 or visit HelpForAlzheimersFamilies.com. To find out about Family Caregiver Trainings call the office at 247.0400 or check Home Instead’s events on Facebook at Facebook.com/CRHomeInstead.

* According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. To view the full report go to Alz.org/Facts.