Caregiver’s Responsibilities To Enhance The Life Of The Individual With Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease, also commonly referred to as Dementia, affects the cognitive ability of a person. This dreadful disease that affects nearly 1 to 2 million people nationwide (Sainer 165), begins with a diminishing memory. Dementia begins to worsen as the victim ages, however, the timeline of the different stages varies from person to person. Although the victim loses most of their cognitive ability and memories after a while, they still remain emotionally present. Depression is common in persons with Alzheimer’s and their quality of life tends to be low, therefore, it is the responsibility of people around them as well as their care environment to enhance their quality of life.The person’s sense of self is first to slip away when someone is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Once someone loses their sense of self they lose interest in other activities as well, resulting in low quality of life. Because of this, it is important that the people around the individual with Alzheimer’s does their best to help the person become comfortable with themselves again as well as enhance the individuals quality of life. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to involve the individual in activities that will improve their quality of life.

One common issue that lowers quality of life in an individual with Alzheimer’s is negative public interaction. Without knowing the circumstances, people tend to respond to those suffering from Alzheimer’s with confusion, impatience, and even fear by making the assumption that the person is crazy and harmful. These negative responses cause discomfort and feelings of worthlessness in the person with Alzheimer’s (Bridges 26). Being the caregiver’s responsibility to enhance the life of the individual, they can make public interactions more positive by discreetly making the public more aware. Small signs alerting others to be patient as the person being accompanied has Alzheimer’s are available to purchase or can easily be made. The signs have been proven to reassure others that the person relating to the sign is not harmful, but instead is simply

Alzheimer’s disease, also commonly referred to as Dementia, affects the cognitive ability of a person. This dreadful disease that affects nearly 1 to 2 million people nationwide (Sainer 165), begins with a diminishing memory. Dementia begins to worsen as the victim ages, however, the timeline of the different stages varies from person to person. Although the victim loses most of their cognitive ability and memories after a while, they still remain emotionally present. Depression is common in persons with Alzheimer’s and their quality of life tends to be low, therefore, it is the responsibility of people around them as well as their care environment to enhance their quality of life.

The person’s sense of self is first to slip away when someone is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Once someone loses their sense of self they lose interest in other activities as well, resulting in low quality of life. Because of this, it is important that the people around the individual with Alzheimer’s does their best to help the person become comfortable with themselves again as well as enhance the individuals quality of life. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to involve the individual in activities that will improve their quality of life.

One common issue that lowers quality of life in an individual with Alzheimer’s is negative public interaction. Without knowing the circumstances, people tend to respond to those suffering from Alzheimer’s with confusion, impatience, and even fear by making the assumption that the person is crazy and harmful. These negative responses cause discomfort and feelings of worthlessness in the person with Alzheimer’s (Bridges 26). Being the caregiver’s responsibility to enhance the life of the individual, they can make public interactions more positive by discreetly making the public more aware. Small signs alerting others to be patient as the person being accompanied has Alzheimer’s are available to purchase or can easily be made. The signs have been proven to reassure others that the person relating to the sign is not harmful, but instead is simply living with cognitive limitations, therefore eliciting a response of patience and kindness. (Susan McFadden and John McFadden 194). It is key for caregivers to let others know interaction is manageable and pleasant as long as extra consideration is used. This simple gesture of educating others provides positive interactions as well as keeping sufferers of Alzheimer’s comfortable when they are in public. Positive public interactions inspired by the caregiver provide an increased quality of life because the individual feels welcome instead of worthless. Being integrated into the community is an important aspect of a better life for those with Alzheimer’s.

Taking part in new or past hobbies and passions enhance life for persons with Alzheimer’s in many different ways. It is the job of the caregiver to inspire the person to become more active because memory specialists found that learning new hobbies or taking part in familiar hobbies increases some cognitive ability (Fotuhi 174). Changing and improving the individual’s cognitive ability allows more significant benefits to arise. After conducting a case study on quality of life in Alzheimer’s patients, scientists have found that change in cognition was associated with reduced depression and improvement in communication all related to health quality of life, proving that enhancing cognition is a significant way to improve quality of life (Sube Banerjee et al. 20). Improved cognitive ability is a benefit all on it is on, however, it also helps the individual to be mentally present in their surroundings and makes deeper connections with others because they are not has disorientated as they would have been. Improved cognition also decrease depression making life more joyous for the individual. With inspiration from caregivers, persons with Alzheimer’s are able to receive a more joyous life and cognitive benefits by taking up hobbies they otherwise would not have done. Involvement in activities outside themselves enhances life for persons with Alzheimer’s in many ways, however, involvement with the self is also needed.

Allowing sufferers of Alzheimer’s to be more involved in their life by giving them a sense of control, provides many personal benefits to enhance their life. The more organized a person is, the more they feel in control of their life and the less stress and strain on their mind (Fotuhi 176). The mind of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s is already facing the stress of memory loss, providing them with an organized structure will prevent any excess stress and give the person a sense of control and independence. Not only does organization prevent more stress on the brain, but professionals have found that “[organization] …minimizes depression, anxiety, and disorientation…”(Larry Tune et al.). Considering that depression is a common reason for low quality of life, providing organization and structure for the individual is another way to relieve depression resulting in a higher quality of life. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to provide the structure so the individual can feel in control of their life and receive the benefits that are significant for improving life. Involvement with others adds to the benefits of being involved with the self.

Community involvement increases the sense of belonging and importance for persons with Alzheimer’s. Persons suffering from Alzheimer’s would prefer to live on their own and feel independent, but in order for this to happen the caregiver and the community need to work together to provide programs and ways to support the person. The positive impact of community help was seen through a seventy-four-year-old man living independently with Alzheimer’s. With the help of his daughter, who reached out to special community programs and to neighbors who offered to help clean and cook, the man was able to live alone in his house. The daughter’s response to the people who helped showed the importance of community involvement, “I don’t know what we would without it. It lets his life be good” (Susan McFadden and John McFadden 128). Without help from the community, the man would be forced into a nursing home where he would lose his sense of belonging and importance to those around him along with his sense of independence. Through the help of his daughter, the man was able to stay integrated with the community making his life better. Having an involved community is just as important as staying involved with the community.

Civic engagement gives reason to a person’s life and is a good way for persons with Alzheimer’s to have a more meaningful life by helping others. Even though the cognitive ability of an individual may be limited, there still remains a desire to be involved in their community. In fact, “Several studies have found that persons who have dementia very much want to be included in…community service” (McFadden and McFadden 179). As much as someone with Alzheimer’s wishes to be involved, it cannot happen unless the caregiver helps the individual. The power of civic engagement is shown through one woman who took it upon herself to lead a civic engagement program specifically for persons with Alzheimer’s. She stated that many of the participants in the program said being involved made them feel competent, provided them with a sense of meaning, and positively contributed to their well-being (McFadden and McFadden 198). The impact a simple act of civic engagement provides from those with Alzheimer’s is important to note. Without the assistance of the woman, the participants would have never gotten involved and they would not have experienced a more meaningful life. A simple act of community service provides significant benefits for persons with Alzheimer’s and allows both the individual and caregiver to be a participatory citizen in their society while achieving more meaning in their life. Civic engagement adds many positive aspects to the lives of persons suffering from Alzheimer’s, and involvement in other areas enhances those feelings even more.

The need for human touch and relation is embedded in every person’s DNA, therefore, maintaining relationships for persons with Alzheimer’s is important for health and overall quality of life. Because of limited cognitive abilities, persons diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are often condemned to a more isolated and helpless position than they deserve, causing feelings of loneliness. One man suffering from Alzheimer’s demonstrates the impact of relationships during a conversation with his wife, “The question is not can I talk or think or reason. The question is whether I can suffer. And without you close to me, helping me, I would suffer.” (Cohen and Eisdorfer 146-147). Although communication is an important factor in relationships, the connection made between two people is significant in making life good. The man is not concerned with his cognitive abilities, he is focused solely on the connection he has with his wife, which is the reason his life is good. With such an impact on a person’s life, it is important for caregivers to inspire persons with Alzheimer’s to maintain relationships with other people because it satisfied the most basic human need, but it also provides happiness in their life. Making connections is a significant factor for a happy life, however, communication also has an important job for enhancing life.

Communication is still a basic need for people even if their mind is affected by Alzheimer’s. It is important for caregivers to recognize that although cognitive ability is lessened, persons with Alzheimer’s still thrive off of communication. Simple commands and short conversations add to feelings of isolation, just as not having relationships causes loneliness. Instead of guiding conversation into safe, reality-based topics, caregivers should respond to what concerns the person. Acknowledging their thoughts and feelings validates the legitimacy and the overall worth of the individual (Benjamin 109). Even if the conversation is confusing or focusing on something simple, the impact the conversation has on the individual is important for enhancing their quality of life. If caregivers take time to validate the individual every day, the worth and dignity of the person become self-perpetuating. “Many healthcare professionals…have used validation therapy principles….[Professionals] have documented noticeable changes in patients” (Benjamin 122). Communication is an effective way to improve the quality of life as long as the conversation is focused on the concerns of the person with Alzheimer’s. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to make sure they are validating the individual in conversation rather than avoiding their concerns. Validation provides many benefits that improve life, whereas commands or safe topics isolate the person. Because communication is significant to a high quality of life, once a person is in the later stages of Alzheimer’s conversation must be geared in a different direction to ensure the same benefits.

Communication becomes more difficult in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, fortunately, other techniques and ways to communicate and connect exist. Healthcare professionals have proven that “A demented person retains the capacity to understand the language well after [they] cannot speak intelligibly and can understand the emotional content of facial and [body] cues” (Ronch 70). This means that although the person may not be communicating verbally, they are understanding the conversation and are still emotionally present. An easy and effective way to communicate and connect is reminiscing on past memories. Memories elicit an emotional response that the individual is able to relate to. Health professionals have a designed a specific technique, SimPres, that uses memories to give the person feelings of joy and familiarity. A popular and effective form of SimPres is pre-recording an interactive conversation with a friend or relative of the individual. During the conversation, memories will be brought up that bring pleasure to the individual. (Lois Camberg et al. 131). Although the person may not be able to physically communicate, their mind is being stimulated to assume they are. This provides the person with feelings of pleasure they would receive from having an actual conversation with someone. A study involving a seventy-five-year-old woman with dementia was conducted to test the effectiveness of SimPres. The results of the study showed the women “…responded positively 57 out of 6o times” (Lois Camberg et al. 136). SimPres is an effective way to communicate and connect with those whose cognitive abilities are extremely limited. Because not everyone may be able to afford are recreate SimPres, reminiscing is a simpler but nearly as effective technique to communicate and connect in the later stages. Once in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, it is up to the caregiver to provide effective SimPres or reminisce with the individual to provide the communication that is needed for the person to live a good life. Being emotionally present with other people is important for making connections and meeting the basic need of human life, but there are other techniques that allow the individual to be emotionally present in their surroundings that improve quality of life.

Music is an underestimated technique when discussing the enhancement of life for someone with Alzheimer’s. In many different cases, music, in its many forms, proves to elicit a positive emotional response along with other benefits. Case studies have found that moving to music not only brings joy to the individual but also stimulates senses, promotes alertness and responsiveness. Researchers have also shown that playing music, singing, or dancing elicit joy. The impact of music can be seen specifically from one study with an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s whose movement and memory was lacking. However, once the music began playing he danced with his wife gracefully compared to his movement beforehand. Similar results were seen from a woman who sat unresponsive in her room, uninterested by other techniques used to increase the quality of life. Yet, once a traditional melody began playing she sung along joyously despite her lack of communication beforehand. (Hanser 152-155). It does not matter which stage of Alzheimer’s a person is in, music provides joy for a happier life. Although not all situations are going to be as dramatic as these two specific cases, individuals do feel more engaged and joyful when listening to music. Caregivers can get the individual involved with music whether singing or dancing with them to ensure they live a joyful life. However, if the individual seems uninterested with music there is another technique that elicits similar positive emotional responses.

Service dogs and other animals supply an emotional connection and a positive impact on the health of the individual. The use of companion animals for dementia care enhances emotional state and overall quality of life. Puppies draw a significantly positive emotional response from persons with Alzheimer’s who may have otherwise been too incapacitated to respond (Post 112). Just like music, it does not matter which stage of Alzheimer’s a person is in because, even in the latest stages, animals are able to bring joy and draw other positive emotional responses. Research has found that pets “foster sociability, animate the withdrawn, enhance morale, fulfill needs to nurture and be nurtured…and provide significant forms of sensory stimulation” (Savishinsky 1325). Animals provide an astonishing amount of benefits for persons with Alzheimer’s that all work to increase the quality of life. Animals provide some of the same benefits that relationships provide, showing the significance of companion animals. It is the job of the caregiver to find a pet that is helpful, lax and comfortable in the care environment of the individual to make sure all possible benefits are being received and quality of life is improving.

Minting involvement with the self, others, and certain activities, although relates to the health and quality of life in Alzheimer’s victims, is the responsibility of caregivers. Depending on the actions of the caregiver, the quality of life in the person with Alzheimer’s can either decrease or improve tremendously. If the caregiver takes actions to improve the quality of life in those with Alzheimer’s then naturally their quality of life also improves. The joy of the individual becomes the caregiver’s joy as well because they feel such a deep connection. The caregiver also learns lessons they could not learn anywhere else. After overcoming challenges with a sufferer of Alzheimer’s, the caregiver gains virtues of extreme patience, self-worth, and a deeper meaning of life. The caregiver also learns to cherish moments they would have otherwise overlooked because they see how little moments sometimes mean more.