Homecare Little Neck NY
Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult who is going through Alzheimer’s disease can be an extremely challenging journey. You are faced with the reality that your parent’s needs and care can and will change, and that sometimes these changes will be unexpected and sudden. As you are managing these needs and trying to prepare yourself for the future of their changes, you must focus your attention on keeping your parent healthy and safe, and creating the highest quality of life possible for your senior. Part of this is helping them to maintain their independence.
Even if your loved one is struggling with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, the concept of independence and autonomy are important. Feeling as though they still have control over their lives and can express themselves is vital to guarding their mental and emotional health and supporting ongoing cognitive functioning. This means that even as they progress through the disease your parent can hold on to more of their abilities and stay active and engaged in the world around them. One of the ways that you can do this is by keeping them involved in the basic everyday tasks around their home.
Use these tips to help involve a senior with Alzheimer’s disease in their laundry tasks:
• Sorting. Sorting and organizing are activities that seniors dealing with dementia often respond very well to. Gather up the laundry from around the house and encourage them to help you sort it into different loads. This can be as simple as dividing up colors, whites, and darks and then you can go further in dividing the loads by fabric or other specifications.
• Adding the detergent. Go through the process of starting the washer and then have your parent add the detergent. While you are doing this you can talk about the purpose of the detergent or encourage them to share memories that come up when thinking about doing laundry. This will keep their mind active and strengthen their memory skills.
• Print out picture instructions. If your elderly loved one is not far in the progression of the disease they might be able to handle the vast majority, if not all, of washing their own laundry. They might not, however, remember how to do it. This can result in confusion and frustration. Print out picture instructions that you can place near the washer and dryer so that your parent can follow them. Do this simply by going through the entire process of washing a load of laundry and taking a picture of each step. Remember that something like “turn on the washer” or “set the load” can be vague and confusing for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease. Help them by breaking down these steps further and providing any necessary information to help them handle each step effectively.
• Folding. Folding laundry is a simple and repetitive task that can be soothing for a senior dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. Bring the dry laundry somewhere where your parent can sit down and fold the laundry with them. This is a great opportunity for you to talk and engage, further stimulating their mind.