Alzheimer’s Care Requires Constant Vigilance

By Andy Niska | January 13, 2017 |

Senior Care in Chewelah WA

Timothy was born in the late 1930s. When he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s he was 72 years old. At the time, he was widowed and living alone. His family was concerned about safety, but they never thought about home care support.

Timothy’s daughter lived in the same town.

This seemed like the perfect match. She had some extra time daily to stop by and visit with him, support him, and possibly remind him about certain prescription medications he needed to take, appointments that were coming up, and other things he may have forgotten.

At the time, his daughter had no prior experience with Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia. This was a completely new experience for everyone in the family. In the beginning, his daughter was surprised at how well he was still able to take care of himself.

She, along with most of the rest of his family, thought he would be highly dependent on others for his basic care. They didn’t understand at that time how Alzheimer’s progressed.

During those first years, things seemed easy.

Timothy was doing okay. He was taking care of himself, relying on only minimal assistance, and was able to keep track of most things with reminders, including a calendar in the kitchen and digital devices.

His daughter was becoming a bit overwhelmed with the process. It seemed as though she didn’t have a day off. No one in the family was stepping up to help out, even though she had a brother and several other family members who didn’t live that far away.

As Timothy began to experience more significant signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, his daughter was drawing back a bit. She was trying to take care of herself. She wasn’t stopping by every day like she used to. One afternoon, she received a call from the local authorities.

They had picked Timothy up as he was wandering down the street. This was in the middle of winter and he only had a T-shirt and slacks on. It was obvious right away to the police officers that he was ill-equipped to be handling the situation on his own.

That was when Timothy’s family realized constant vigilance was essential.

Since his daughter was not able to be there for him around-the-clock, to keep him safe, to check on him, and to be the support he needed, they started looking at other options. The option they decided upon was home care services.

It was the best decision they made about this situation.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Chewelah, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.