ดูแลผู้ป่วยอัลไซเมอร์อย่างไร ให้ทั้งตนเองและผู้ป่วยมีความสุข

<p>Alzheimer’s disease is a deficiency in the brain function of dementia patients. Clear symptoms include deficiencies in cognition and memory and forgetfulness of dates, time, places and even close acquaintances and caregivers. Patients of this disease experience reduced cognition and learning ability. Their perception changes, and their interest and concentration decrease, causing decreased ability to interact and be with other people in society.</p>
<p>Alzheimer’s disease patients require correct care and attention. This is because these patients will experience gradually declining ability to perform daily activities. Proper observation and care along with understanding about the progression of the disease can help support patients to live happily and allow caregivers to not to experience a lot of anxiety and fatigue.</p>
<p>As a result of the aforementioned condition and the associated problems, when caregivers have to take care of a patient for a long time, they begin to experience fatigue, stress, tiredness, anxiety and depression, and sometimes they might experience disappointment after their patient’s symptoms fail to improve, yet the patient would express dissatisfaction about their own care and not cooperate during their care. By this point, caregivers often ask about how to take care of Alzheimer’s patients in order to allow themselves and their patient to be happy.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Try to understand dementia and Alzheimer’s disease well by finding information from various sources like books, radio, television and internet articles or possibly even by asking the doctors caring for the patient. Upon learning and understanding about the nature of the symptoms, progression, treatment methods and prognosis, including how to assist patients, you will be able to effectively deal with and resolve problems that occur.</li>
<li>Accept the patient and the patient’s symptoms, since the disease is incurable. Appropriate care can reduce negative consequences.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Caregivers Who Understand Their Patients</strong></span><strong><span style="color: #00826a;">  </span> </strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>The most problematic emotional and behavioral problems of the patient should be resolved first, since this will make it easier to care for the patient.</li>
<li>If there is something causing emotional reactions or dissatisfaction in the patient, you should identify the cause to correct or avoid it in order to minimize patient stress. If caregivers can understand this point, they will not feel like they are providing inadequate care to the patient and will feel less stress as a result.</li>
<li>Sometimes the patient might exhibit emotions that cause the caregiver to feel disappointment. The caregiver has to understand that this is a result of the disease and not that the patient is dissatisfied, angry or intentionally blaming the caregiver, since the patient was never like this before they became sick.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Help Alzheimer’s Disease Patients Understand Themselves.</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>It is important to explain to the patient about their health changes while they can still perceive and understand it and before symptoms are too severe. This is to prepare the patient and let them be more willing and cooperative in their care.</li>
<li>Encourage and support the patient to understand that there are many daily activities that the patient can perform personally, so the patient will not feel less worthy or a burden. This will give the patient a greater sense of pride, worth and confidence.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Schedule daily activities appropriately.</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Record daily or weekly activities to provide reminders and help the patient reflect on themselves.</li>
<li>Set daily routines to occur on the same dates and at the same time without changing them, or else the patient might become confused. Possibly, labels can be used to write the names of various items used in daily activities such as glasses and toothbrushes so that the patient will not forget their own belongings.</li>
<li>Provide a safe home environment without making frequent changes, and create a pathway between the patient’s room to the different areas where the patient has to make use of regularly. Do not place objects or items in the way that might cause accidents. Provide railings and sufficient lighting to ensure that the patient does not feel fear or unsafe due to hallucinations.</li>
<li>Encourage the patient to engage in activities with the family. Take the patient out for occasional family trips or to meet with the patient’s friends so that the patient can relax and not feel abandoned or isolated.</li>
<li>Help and assist the patient to exercise appropriately to strengthen the muscles and prevent locked joints.</li>
<li>If the patient symptoms are not very severe yet, perhaps the patient can be invited to play games like computer games, tablet games or number games. Otherwise, invite the patient to go pray together. Avoid trying to stimulate or push the patient too much, or else the patient might feel bored and start to resist.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Communicating with the Patient</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>When talking to the patient, always call the patient by name for familiarity and to remind the patient of their own name.</li>
<li>Speak slowly by using short, simple and direct words. Pronounce them clearly without shouting or raising your voice. You should also use body language as well such as looking into their eyes and smiling and using objects to accompany the conversation to make the topic easier to understand, for example by using a clock or photograph.</li>
<li>Keep telling stories about the past that the patient is familiar with by progressing chronologically from the past up too the present, for example, by telling stories about their children and friends and the places they used to visit or the work they performed.</li>
<li>Do not ask questions that you know the patient cannot answer. Otherwise, the patient will feel anxious and begin blaming themselves for being deficient.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Avoid and Prevent Problems</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>A lot of patients, when they are symptomatic, might be able to communicate less, or they might be unable to speak, or they might appear silent. Normally, however, they can understand what is being said to them. Therefore, when you see that the patient is unresponsive after you talk, it does not necessarily mean that the patient cannot hear or cannot understand you.</li>
<li>Avoid words or behaviors that affect the patient’s emotions. Things that the patient does not like, sadness, and disappointment can cause stress and increase the patient’s isolation and depression.</li>
<li>Do not lure the patient to perform any activity without keeping the promises made with the patient. If you gave your word to the patient, you should keep it, or else the patient will stop believing in you and may resist.</li>
<li>Do not criticize, blame, argue or scold the patient in front of other people, especially when the patient is unable to remember something. Otherwise, this will cause the patient to feel embarrassed. In addition, do not punish the patient, or else the sense of guilt can cause psychological symptoms.</li>
<li>Make a necklace or bracelet for the patient to wear that contains a statement saying that the wearer has memory problems. Also add the telephone number of a relative or caregiver. Otherwise, if the patient gets lost or leaves the house without anyone’s knowledge, if the patient runs into someone, the caregiver can be contacted. This makes it easier to track the patient.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Follow the doctor’s recommendations.</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>To improve treatment results, caregivers should observe abnormal symptoms in the patient, record their behaviors and notify the doctor upon reaching the appointed time for a follow-up.</li>
<li>In treating the patient, it might be necessary to use a psychoactive drug for symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, depression and aggression. Caregivers have to ensure that the patient regularly takes their medications and to observe symptoms after taking medications to be able to correctly notify the doctor.</li>
<li>If the patient experiences abnormal symptoms, you should quickly consult a doctor. These symptoms may include insomnia, anxiety or excessive depression, behavioral changes, aggression, miscomprehensions, hearing things and other psychological symptoms.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #00826a;"><strong>Self-care for Patient Caregivers</strong></span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Caregivers should allocate sufficient time for rest by having other people care for the patient instead. This is because caring for the patient continuously for a long time can cause fatigue, stress and irritability, which do not benefit the caregivers or the patients in the long-term.</li>
<li>Caregivers should have time to engage in activities that they enjoy in order to relax. If the patient can participate in these activities at the same time, it can be a way to promote good relations between caregivers and the patient.</li>
</ul>


Discussing on how to care for Alzheimer’s disease patients so that Both Caregivers and Patients are happy.

Services

Article

About Us

Hospital locations

How to Care for Alzheimer’s disease Patients so that Both Caregivers and Patients are Happy

Tel

Email

Services

Article

About Us

Hospital locations