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Every September, World Alzheimer’s Month provides an opportunity to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, challenge misconceptions, and recognize the millions of individuals, families, and caregivers whose lives are touched by dementia.
At Home Care Plus, we believe awareness should lead to something equally important: understanding and support.
When someone you love is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, life does not suddenly become defined by a diagnosis. They are still the parent who raised you, the spouse who shared your life, the grandparent with stories to tell, or the friend whose personality and experiences make them unique.
Alzheimer’s may change memory, communication, judgment, and the ability to complete everyday activities. But it never changes a person’s fundamental need for dignity, compassion, connection, purpose, and respect.
Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease and the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is a general term describing changes in memory, thinking, reasoning, and other cognitive abilities that interfere with everyday life.
While occasional forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging, Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of getting older.
Changes associated with Alzheimer’s can eventually affect much more than memory. A person may experience difficulty with:
Because Alzheimer’s progresses differently from one person to another, the amount and type of assistance a person needs can also change over time.
Look Beyond the Memory Loss
One of the most important lessons for families is that Alzheimer’s care isn’t simply about helping someone who forgets things.
Imagine waking up and not completely understanding where you are. Someone begins asking you to get dressed, take a shower, or leave the house, but you aren’t sure why. You may not remember the conversation that happened five minutes earlier.
What looks like stubbornness or resistance to someone else may actually be fear, confusion, frustration, discomfort, or an attempt to communicate a need.
When a loved one becomes restless, upset, withdrawn, or resistant, consider what may be happening beneath the behavior.
Could they be hungry or thirsty?
Are they tired?
Are they uncomfortable or in pain?
Is the room too noisy?
Do they need to use the bathroom?
Are too many instructions being given at once?
Are they frightened because they don’t understand what’s happening?
Changing the question from “Why are they behaving this way?” to “What might they be trying to communicate?” can completely change the way we respond.
Focus on Connection Rather Than Correction
Families naturally want to help when a loved one remembers something incorrectly. But repeatedly correcting a person living with Alzheimer’s can sometimes create unnecessary frustration or distress.
Not every incorrect detail needs to be corrected.
Instead, listen for the emotion behind what your loved one is saying.
If they are worried, provide reassurance. If they’re reminiscing, allow them to tell the story. If they’re confused, gently redirect the conversation rather than arguing.
Sometimes being kind is more important than being right.
Create Familiar, Predictable Routines
Routine can be incredibly valuable for someone living with dementia.
Try keeping meals, bathing, bedtime, activities, and other daily tasks around the same time whenever possible.
Familiarity can make the day feel more predictable and may reduce unnecessary confusion.
You can also simplify the environment by keeping commonly used belongings in familiar locations and limiting unnecessary clutter.
The goal isn’t to control every part of someone’s day. It’s to create an environment that makes everyday life easier to navigate.
Simplify Choices Without Taking Away Choice
As Alzheimer’s progresses, too many options can become overwhelming.
Instead of asking:
“What would you like to wear today?”
Try:
“Would you like the blue shirt or the green shirt?”
Instead of asking:
“What would you like for lunch?”
Try:
“Would you like soup or a sandwich?”
Small adjustments like these allow the individual to continue making decisions while reducing the cognitive demands of an open-ended question.
Encourage Independence for as Long as Possible
When someone begins struggling with everyday activities, our instinct may be to step in and do everything for them.
But maintaining appropriate independence can support dignity, confidence, and a sense of purpose.
If your loved one can still brush their hair, fold towels, help prepare a simple meal, water plants, set the table, or choose their clothing, encourage them to participate.
Tasks may take longer. They may need reminders or assistance.
That’s okay.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is participation.
A good approach is to provide the amount of assistance needed while still allowing the person to safely do as much as possible for themselves.
Make the Home Environment Safer
As memory, judgment, balance, or awareness change, familiar homes can present new risks.
Families should periodically look at the home from a safety perspective.
Consider:
Safety needs may change as Alzheimer’s progresses, so home safety should be reviewed regularly rather than treated as a one-time project.
Don’t Forget About the Family Caregiver
Alzheimer’s affects the entire family.
A spouse, adult child, or other relative may gradually find themselves responsible for meals, transportation, personal care, household tasks, appointments, supervision, medications, finances, and countless other responsibilities.
And because the changes often happen gradually, families may not immediately recognize how much they’re doing.
Watch for signs of caregiver strain, including exhaustion, irritability, difficulty sleeping, isolation, frequently missing work or personal obligations, and feeling as though it is impossible to leave the loved one alone.
Caregiver support isn’t a luxury.
It is part of a sustainable dementia care plan.
Family members need opportunities to rest, work, spend time with their own families, attend appointments, and simply have time to themselves.
Getting additional help doesn’t mean a family is doing less for their loved one. It can allow them to spend more time being a daughter, son, spouse, sibling, or grandchild rather than trying to manage every care-giving responsibility alone.
What a Non-Medical Home Care Can Support Someone Living with Alzheimer’s
Many families initially associate home care primarily with companionship. But non-medical in-home care can provide practical assistance with many of the everyday activities that become more difficult as dementia progresses.
Depending on an individual’s needs, a caregiver may assist with:
Non-medical home care does not replace physicians, nurses, home health, hospice, or other medical professionals.
Instead, it can help fill the important gap between medical visits by providing assistance with everyday life at home.
When Is It Time to Consider Additional Help?
There isn’t one moment that tells every family it’s time for home care.
Instead, look for patterns.
You may want to consider additional support if you notice that your loved one:
Another important warning sign is when the family caregiver is becoming overwhelmed.
You do not have to wait for a fall, hospitalization, wandering incident, or caregiver crisis before asking for help.
Alzheimer’s Care Is Still Person-Centered Care
A diagnosis can sometimes cause everyone around an individual to focus on what has been lost.
World Alzheimer’s Month is an important reminder to also recognize what remains.
A favorite song may still bring a smile.
A familiar voice may still provide comfort.
Holding someone’s hand can still communicate safety.
A familiar meal can still evoke happiness.
Laughter can still happen.
Connection can still happen.
And meaningful moments are still possible.
The person should always come before the diagnosis.
Home Care Plus: Supporting Low-country Families Living with Alzheimer’s
For more than 15 years, Home Care Plus has helped aging adults and their families throughout the Charleston Low country receive compassionate, one-on-one support.
For families seeking senior home care in Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Berkeley County, or Dorchester County, our non-medical caregivers can provide personalized assistance designed around the individual’s routines, preferences, abilities, and changing needs.
Our goal isn’t to take over everything someone can still do.
It’s to provide the right amount of in-home care and support to help aging adults remain as safe, comfortable, engaged, and independent as possible.
This World Alzheimer’s Month, we encourage families to learn more about dementia, talk openly about care-giving needs, support the caregivers in their lives, and continue seeing the individual behind the diagnosis.
Because while Alzheimer’s may change many things, every person deserves to be treated with dignity, patience, compassion, and love.
Home Care Plus
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Home Care Plus Staff
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Top Home Care in Charleston, SC by Home Care Plus
(843) 628-3642
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