If somebody in your family, somebody you love, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it can change so much for you, for them, and for everyone else in the family. The family dynamics can be forever altered by a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
When the dynamics do change, they don’t necessarily happen overnight. It can be a long, slow progression that builds and builds. If the dynamics in your family change, it can affect the relationships you have with everyone around you.
It’s important to consider the impact that a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is going to have not just on the aging senior with it, but those around him or her, including their spouse, adult children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, and others.
So, how might Alzheimer’s completely alter the makeup and foundation of your family? Let’s look at a few possible ways.
1. People will treat the senior with Alzheimer’s differently.
Even though the senior likely appears ‘normal,’ for lack of a better term during the earliest stages of the disease, you and others will probably treat him or her differently. You may treat them with kid gloves, but be careful about what you say, acting as though they’re going to be gone in the next couple of months.
As time marches on, frustration, anxiety, and aggressive tendencies may increase because of memory loss, you may treat them differently, too, but in a much different way.
It’s almost inevitable that we all treat people differently once they have received a devastating diagnosis.
2. Some become de facto caregivers.
This might have happened to you already. You never planned on being a caregiver for your aging mother or father, grandparent, spouse, or other loved one, but here you are, spending most of your free time looking after them.
Becoming a family caregiver to an aging parent, for example, suddenly changes the relationship. Instead of parent-child, it becomes adult child acting as parent-parent now treated as a child.
That is a perfect recipe for extreme pain and duress in the coming years. The best option here is to avoid that by turning to professional, experienced Alzheimer’s care instead.
3. When a senior forgets their loved ones, it can hurt.
Eventually, assuming this senior lives for another eight or 10 years, which is average for somebody upon diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, they will begin forgetting their loved ones. They will forget their own children, their names, and won’t even recognize their faces.
That’s going to hurt on an emotional level most people are never prepared for, even though they understand it’s likely coming.
4. Aggressive behaviors can hurt in many different ways.
This doesn’t happen for every senior with Alzheimer’s, but verbal and physical aggression can increase due to extreme confusion and frustration on the part of the senior.
Hearing your mother call you all sorts of names, accuse you of horrible things, or even throw things at you can change the way you see her or view her. You might do things to hurt her back out of pain and frustration.
Don’t let these things take over. Instead, understand the value of Alzheimer’s care and turn to it now before all these other changes occur.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s Care in Plano, TX, please contact the caring staff at Arcy Healthcare today at (469) 293-1515
Providing In-Home Healthcare Services in North Texas, including Dallas, Hurst, Grapevine, Keller, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Denton, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Gainesville, and more.
My name is Jimmie Stapleton. I am the founder and CEO of Arcy Healthcare. Arcy Healthcare includes Arcy Hospice, Arcy Supportive Care, MaximaCare Home Health and Arcy at Home.
Arcy Hospice was opened in 2007 to provide care and support for individuals and families facing a life limiting illness. It was established after my wife Ellen, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, had completed her chemo and radiation therapies. At that time, things were looking positive, and we wanted to do something for our community that had been so supportive of our family during her treatments. Unfortunately, the cancer returned a few years later, and she subsequently passed away under our care in 2010.
In the years that followed, I began to see the need to provide the same level of excellent care to patients across the continuum of care. Therefore, we have added a home health division (MaximaCare Home Health), a palliative care division (Arcy Supportive Care), and a home care division, (Arcy at Home). With the addition of these divisions, we can meet most of the post-acute care needs for you and your family in your home.
I started Arcy Hospice with my wife as my motivation to provide exceptional care and support in the patient’s home, where they are surrounded by family and where they feel most comfortable. I’m proud to say that our staff provides some of the best in home care in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
Please let us know if we can enrich the quality of life for you or a loved one.
Sincerely,
Jimmie Stapleton – Founder and CEO
Arcy Healthcare
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