Alzheimer's Disease Management.

Alzheimer's Disease Management.
Research indicates that in Alzheimer's disease management, caregivers are often at increased risk of stress and depression, particularly if they do not have adequate support from family, friends and the society in general. It is important for these caregivers to allow themselves enough rest and relaxation.

Given the nature of the condition, Alzheimer's disease management can be no mean task. Many caregivers find it necessary to employ strategies that enable them to deal with patients' difficult behaviors and stressful situations they have to go through. Below are some suggestions on how to best cope with the management of the disease.

The individual with the disease should be kept out of reach of anything that could pose danger to him. Such things may include matches, knives and so on. The surrounding environment should be kept as safe as possible, especially for the patient. In Alzheimer's disease management, it is helpful to ensure that the patient is engaged. The patient can be engaged in simple and routine activities such as setting the table at meal times or cleaning chores.

Granted, communicating with an Alzheimer's disease patient can sometimes be quite a challenge. Understanding him may be difficult, and being understood can also be a challenge. It is therefore advisable to choose short sentences and simple words. At the same time, it is beneficial to use a calm, gentle tone when communicating to the patient. Alternatively, one can just avoid talking to the patient. Other strategies of communication in Alzheimer's disease management may include allowing the patient enough time for responding and giving feedback and not interrupting, calling the person by name to get his attention when talking to him, and minimizing interfering noise that can distract the conversation. If the person is struggling to find a word, effective Alzheimer's disease management would mean gently trying to provide the word.

The other strategy in Alzheimer's disease management is maintaining familiar mealtime routines, being patient at meal times and giving the patient choices of food. The choices should not be too many though. Also, meals should be served in small portions and several times throughout the day. The caregiver should however be careful to avoid overeating.

Similarly, in Alzheimer's disease management, it is important for the caregiver to find activities that the person can do and is interested in. If there is need, the caregiver should offer support to the person.