Alzheimer’s disease creates massive changes in your elderly family member’s brain. Over time, as she moves into the later stages of Alzheimer’s, your senior may start to lose even more of the skills she’s maintained for so long. This can be difficult for both of you to cope with, which is why it helps to have assistance during this difficult time.

Your Senior Isn’t Able to Move Around on Her Own

At some point, your elderly family member may no longer be able to be mobile at all. One day she may be able to get to the bathroom or to the kitchen, but it might seem as if the very next day she’s unable to make the same trip. This can also mean that turning over in bed or shifting position on her own becomes too difficult. You and other people may need to help her more and more.

It’s Difficult for Others to Understand Her

You may find yourself developing a special skill in understanding your senior and what she needs. This comes from working so closely with her and doing what you can to anticipate her needs. As her Alzheimer’s disease progresses, though, you may find that it’s just as difficult for you to understand her as it is for other people to figure out what she needs.

Daily Activities Are Impossible

For quite a long time your senior may still be handling many self-care activities on her own or with minimal assistance. As the Alzheimer’s gets worse, though, she may lose the ability to take care of even those activities on her own. You may even find that these tasks become impossible with your help, too.

She’s Unable to Eat or to Swallow

Muscle control and other factors contribute to making it difficult for your senior to eat or even to swallow as her Alzheimer’s worsens. You may be able to coax her to do these things on her own for a little while, but eventually, it becomes much too difficult. Switching to a liquid diet can sometimes help, but your senior’s doctor, as well as end-of-life care providers, can offer other suggestions that can help.

Having end-of-life care providers available in these later stages of Alzheimer’s disease helps you as well as your senior. It’s exhausting to help a senior with these later stages and having care providers available who understand and who can take over really gives you a break when you need it the most.

If you or a loved one have questions about Elder Care in Princeton, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Serenity Hospice. Call today, we can help:  (609)-227-2400