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How Palliative Care Can Help People with
Dementia and their Family Caregivers
Author: Jay Horton
The onset of Alzheimer's and other dementias
is slow and silent. As a result it is often unnoticed and undiagnosed until
small memory or personality changes begin to increase in regularity and
intensity.
Symptoms
Dementia affects all aspects of brain function.
Short-term memory loss is usually the first symptom. As the disease
progresses, however, other kinds of memory losses mount up: forgetting people
and places, loosening attachments to close personal relationships, and even
loss of self-recognition.
Planning
For you and your loved one who has been
diagnosed with dementia, palliative care can help provide the highest
possible quality of life at every stage of illness.
Dementia progresses slowly and gradually.
Ultimately, it causes the brain to stop functioning. So whenever possible, it
is essential to have discussions early and often before people lose the
capacity to make decisions about their lives and their medical care.
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It is important to keep in mind
that while early-stage dementia patients suffer from short-term memory
problems, they can, and should, make the decisions that will help guide the
kind of care they receive over time. This allows them to have control over
their lives as well as in the treatment of the disease. This also goes a long
way toward relieving some of the burden for family caregivers.
Family Caregivers
Palliative care is as much about
helping families of patients as it is about treating the patients themselves.
Palliative care teams can be an invaluable resource for family caregivers who
often face tremendous stress on a 24/7 basis.
Unless clear medical directives
are made in advance, families often must face wrenching decisions. Palliative
care teams can help sort out facts and feelings around these issues.
Because dementia has such a slow
onset and progression, deterioration on a day-to-day level is sometimes hard to
see and acknowledge. The palliative care team can help caregivers recognize and
deal with the challenges posed by the increasing needs of their declining
family member. The team can assist in finding paid caregivers to help in the
home, or, if home care is no longer feasible, to help arrange for a skilled
nursing facility. And highly-trained team members can help patients and
families navigate advance care planning and early decisions about medical care.
Who is Palliative care clinic:
There is
increasing interest among people for wellness, positive behavior and spiritual
therapy. So we met in this rewarding project to work together for a better life.
In this
place, we will take care of your body, mental and soul... relieves your pain,
give you the smile and hope and help you meeting your goals.
If you were
a patient or you have stress and burnout, or you like to promote your quality
of life, or you are taking care of patients and you wish to gain advanced
skills; will find what you need here.
We offer our
services though the clinic, lectures and workshops, along with home care,
telephone follow up and group therapy.
Because you
deserve…
For a better
life..!
