Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major common cause of dementia and affects more than 4 million Americans. AD usually starts in late middle age and causes symptoms like memory loss, difficulty speaking, difficulty reading, impaired visual skills, confusion, depression, aggression, wondering, inability to function, loss of speech, difficulty eating, and incontinence. Symptoms are significantly variable and depend on many factors like the age of the patient and severity of the disease.

There is no cure yet available for AD patients and overall prognosis is very poor. Home care remains the most important component of overall management of AD patients. Almost half of the AD patients receive care at home while the rest are in different health care institutions.

Home care for Alzheimer’s patients can be a very challenging task and most often extremely stressful. Home care of AD patients may also lead to a variety of health problems for the home care giver. The most widely seen health problem seen in home caregiver is stress. This is 24/7 job and requires strong mental and physical hardiness to manage an AD patient. Some home caregivers may turn to smoking, alcohol and anti-depressant medications simply because they cannot cope with the increasing stress of their personal life and home care of AD patient.
Home care for AD patient is not a short-duration task and may even last more than 20 years and known to consume 100 hours a week thus leaving the home care giver drained of both mental and physical energy. In the final stages of AD, the patient may require complete 24-hour support, which is almost impossible for single individual to handle.
There are all kinds of stresses including seeing the loved one slowly slipping away, financial and physical stress. Home caregivers can’t sleep and eat well and start having their own family problems due to every increasing family and social demands.

If you’re loved one has been diagnosed with AD, you need to plan ahead by exploring the living arrangements and long-term care of your loved one. It is extremely critical to make the right decision at the right time. Best care becomes urgent for most of the patient with Alzheimer and no “quick fix” will work to solve the problem of long-term needs and care of Alzheimer patient. There is no single solution that works for all regarding home care of AD patients. You’ll need to consider your own responsibilities, family demands, your work, preferred location, and above all the budget you can allocate for a long-term home care of your loved one. Every solution comes with some pros and cons, and you’ll need to consider both before deciding the kind of home care service you’d prefer for your loved one.

It’s a sad event that your loved one has got Alzheimer but you need to come out of the initial mental trauma and move on with your life. The best thing you can offer to your loved one with Alzheimer is the quality of life. No matter what solution you select for a long-term home care, do ensure that it will improve the overall quality of life of your loved one.