24/Sep/2023

When you first find out that someone close to you has Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, it can be a shocking and upsetting experience. And if the person is your spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent–or even yourself–it can be overwhelming.

You may feel like there’s nothing you can do but stand by and watch as they slowly slip away from the life they once knew.

Caregivers deserve all the love and support they need to get through challenging situations like these. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to help family caregivers – especially for those who require Alzheimer’s Support BC.

What is a Caregiver?

A caregiver is a person who assists a family member or friend–not just physical help but also emotional support.

Caregivers offer assistance in all kinds of ways, including preparing meals, taking someone to doctor’s appointments or therapy sessions, and more. Many will also help with more intimate and personal tasks, such as helping them dress for the day, feeding them when they have trouble feeding themselves, and ensuring that they are safe when they are out of their regular setting.

For those with Alzheimer’s, a caregiver understands their specific needs, respects them, and ensures that they get the care they deserve. The same is true of caregivers helping this with dementia – with different outcomes and expectations.

Caregivers can range from family and friends to professional palliative care. Professionals who specialize in dementia & Alzheimer’s care often coordinate with doctors and nurses to make sure the patient is receiving the right medications, keeping appointments, and reporting changes in behavior.

How Caregivers Struggle

There are many difficult moments in the course of an elder’s life, but caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be incredibly daunting.

The caregiving process can be overwhelming to deal with–especially since degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia don’t come with a cure.

Family caregivers can experience a variety of challenges when caring for their loved ones, including:

Decreased physical health
Increased stress, anxiety, or depression
Financial difficulties
Loss of personal time and space
Changes in the relationship with the patient
Inability to care for one’s self beyond basic needs

These struggles – among many others – can make it increasingly difficult for those trying to offer dementia or Alzheimer’s support to individuals.

How Family Caregivers Can Cope With these Difficult Moments

There are many things that family caregivers can do to avoid burnout. When it comes to Alzheimer’s and dementia care, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for what works best for everyone. However, these professional tips should help you through some challenging times without falling apart.

1. Do Your Research

There are many challenging moments that come with caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but they are also opportunities to discover new things about the patient–and yourself!

Researching on Alzheimer’s and other dementias will help you better understand your loved one. This can be tremendously helpful when it comes to finding in home care for seniors with dementia, as well as understanding why your loved one may be behaving a certain way.

2. Find Support Among Family and Friends

Unfortunately, many family caregivers feel “trapped” with their caregiving duties and assume that they must suffer alone.

It’s completely natural to feel like you’re the only one going through difficult moments like these, but rest assured that you aren’t alone. It’s not easy for family caregivers to find support, but it can make a world of difference in your quality of life and better prepare you to care for your loved one.

3. Take Care of Yourself

Working as a caregiver is hard work–and if we’re not careful, we’ll burn out. Providing care for someone with dementia requires patience, strength, and clear thinking–all of which are easier said than done.

That’s why it’s super important to take some time out of your day to attend to your personal needs. This can be anything from spending time with friends and family, enjoying a hobby or pastime you enjoy, or exercising regularly.

4. Prepare a Game Plan for the Future

There are many difficult moments that come with caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but they are also opportunities to discover new things about yourself and your loved one!

One way to prepare yourself ahead of time is to have a game plan for what you’re going to do in specific difficult moments. For example, what you’ll do if your loved one becomes verbally or physically abusive, how you’ll handle unexpected changes in behavior, etc.

A good game plan for you and your family can help set expectations and prepare everyone involved for what the days ahead may look like as you continue to care for your loved one.

5. Hire an Alzheimer’s Support BC Service

One of the best ways to cope with difficult moments is by calling in reinforcements. Many family caregivers are reluctant to ask for help, but it can make a world of difference in your quality of life.

An Alzheimer’s support service is an excellent option for busy family caregivers because they provide many types of care all under one roof–including Alzheimer’s & dementia care. While it may seem awkward at first to ask for help, you’ll be glad that you did!

Find Alzheimer’s Assistance with Big Hearts Home Care

For family caregivers seeking skilled Alzheimer’s and dementia care in VancouverMany difficult moments come or who wish to learn more about the advantages of hiring a home care expert, we invite you to contact Big Hearts Home Care.

At Big Hearts Home Care, our team of Alzheimer’s specialists has the skills and resources necessary to help with any home care services for seniors or disabled individuals in our community.

We are proud to offer Alzheimer’s support BC for those who may need help in offering family caregiver services – as well as home care services for elderly and in home care for seniors with dementia.

With a variety of services available, we can offer premier Alzheimer’s Support BC that is tailored to the needs of our clients and their families.

Want to learn more? Contact Big Hearts Home Care today to find out how home care services Vancouver can bring peace of mind and hope to you and your loved ones today.

Jennifer

24/Sep/2023

Palliative care is a specialized medical service that aims to improve the quality of life of people diagnosed with severe illness by alleviating their symptoms and dealing with emotional, social, spiritual, and practical difficulties.

Specialized palliative care involves doctors, nurses, psychologists, and other specialists working together as a team to help relieve the stress of an often serious diagnosis.

The team covers pain management, nutrition, hydration, communication with family members and friends, treatment decisions, and emotional support to patients and their families/friends.

For patients who need dementia support BC, specialized palliative care teams provide services like memory screenings, language and communication support, behavior assessments, relief of distress or fears caused by dementia-related behaviors, reducing environmental stressors which cause anxiety/aggression/delusions, and the promotion of positive social interactions.

What are the Benefits of Specialized Palliative Care?

Medical studies show that when there is a coordinated effort across disciplines in caring for patients diagnosed with life-changing illnesses, the patient is more likely to live a higher quality of life in their final stages. This is also true when patients receive good palliative care (including social work and pastoral services) after they are discharged from the hospital.

There are studies that show coordination between disciplines not only improves the quality of life for the patient but also reduces the number of emergency department visits and hospital readmissions. This is especially true in instances of in home care for seniors with dementia.

What are the Challenges of Specialized Palliative Care?

Studies continue to show that as the population grows and ages, specialized palliative care is a growing priority for health service administrators and medical professionals.

However, there are many areas that simply do not have access or knowledge of specialized palliative care services, including dementia & Alzheimer’s care. This poses a challenge for the patients living in those areas, as well as for the medical staff that serves them.

For palliative care in British Columbia and beyond, the following challenges are clear:

Accessibility due to geographical landscape (rural or remote communities, etc.)
Lack of resources in general (human resources, specialized equipment, pharmaceuticals, etc.)
Cultural aspects (language barriers, beliefs/values about death and dying)
Financial constraints (funding for research, resources, equipment)
Service gaps (lack of knowledge about specialized palliative care; lack of specialized professionals; issues with coordination between disciplines, etc.)

How to Increase Specialized Palliative Care BC

GIS (Geographic Information System) is one helpful solution that can be applied to solve this problem by providing special insight into where specialized palliative care services might be needed.

GIS is a science that uses computer software to represent data as maps or visual plots on a digital platform. The maps are used for mapping, measuring, analyzing, and processing geographical locations, updating them in real-time with relevant information. The term GIS can be applied to any form of data that has an associated location (including time).

In this case, GIS can be used to map out Canada and pinpoint areas that do not have a palliative care unit or where there may be a lack of knowledge about the specialized services available.

This information can then be passed along to medical professionals in different fields, letting them know where they might need to focus their efforts to ensure patients living in those areas have access to high-quality palliative care.

GIS can also be used as a research tool, as the data collected from the maps can be analyzed and processed further to give a more detailed picture of which sectors are being underserved. This information will help health managers better understand where they should be focusing their efforts to ensure patients in the right locations receive proper palliative care

How Big Hearts Home Care is Helping Bring Palliative In-Home Care to BC

Big Hearts Home Care is keen to use GIS as a tool to help patients receive the specialized palliative care services they need.

In fact, Big Hearts has been actively working to cover specialized palliative home care needs for all residents throughout British Columbia. With specialized palliative care the includes dementia & Alzheimer’s care, Wound Care, and more, Big Hearts Home Care is strengthening its focus on specialized palliative care.

Big Hearts Home Care has been providing its clients with high-quality care for almost twenty years now. They have a team of professionals who understand the unique needs of each client and know how to provide them with specialized services based on those needs. Big Hearts Home Care continues to find new ways to help with home care services for elderly across the region.

Learn more about Big Hearts Home Care and how they help people across the province by visiting them online today.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care: Help for Family Caregivers

A Method To Determine Spatial Access To Specialized Palliative Care Services Using GIS

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