So, in my humble opinion, the three key rules to good Caretaking are:
1: Structure
2: Structure
3: Structure
And that’s about it. What? More detail?? Well, here you go…
#1) you need a highly structured home life. Same wake-up times. Same go to bed times…Same meal times every day. Same time for pills each day. Color coordinated towels, dishes, help the patient to respect family boundaries.
#2) You need a highly structure diet. Balanced diet. Check with the doctor if you are unsure of what the diet should be. Stick to the diet regardless. Doing so will help you improve the health of the patient and perhaps extend their quality of life.
#3) Make sure your structure includes daily supplies of companionship, conversation, and reminders that the patient is loved desperately by their family. The most quiet gesture never goes unnoticed. A patient is already sensitive that they may be a burden. Do what you can to assure them that they are loved.
There are hundred of other little rules that you could add to this list. But these are the keys to a good start.
The secret to care taking is that when you reach out to a love one and help them through an illness, you the caretaker feel good about it when all is said and done. It’s an enormously good feeling.
The last thing I can add to this is that one should never care take alone. It’s a big job, and if you can, reach out and ask for help. There are different options. There’s family, hospice or even hourly nursing help available. If your unsure about how to find help in your area, call your county and ask what services they have available for elderly/senior care. Most importantly get involved with an Alzheimer’s Disorder (AD) support group. Support groups are enormously beneficial. They are a wonderful ways of decompressing, when you feel you can’t do it any more. And you meet wonderful people and soon to be friends who are in similar situations as well. I can’t say enough wonderful things about support groups.
Living Simply 