Is there a cure for Alzheimer’s disease?

No, unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease at present. There are drugs that can treat some of the symptoms and new research is working feverishly to help design a drug cocktail that could halt the disease in its tracks. Alzheimer care is of the utmost importance when dealing with a loved one that has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. A relatively new technique being used to help Alzheimer patients is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy focuses on the dementia of the patient by helping them regain, at least partially, an awareness of their surroundings that is so often lacking in Alzheimer patients. It will not treat all of the behavior problems but it can help with many and it is definitely something worth looking into if a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

How do I care for someone in my family that has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease?

The very first thing you must do when providing Alzheimer care for a loved one is to become informed about the disease. The more you know about the disease and its progressive stages, the better able you will be to handle the situations that will arise. You will need to stay in constant contact with your loved one’s family physician and keep aware of all the current medications and treatment options that are available for Alzheimer patients. This is just the start though. You will also need to make changes to your lifestyle in order to help your loved one adjust to the changes happening in his or her life.

Is it better to have my parent or grandparent receiving Alzheimer care in their home or a group home?

It is always better to have the loved one being cared for in their home but sometimes this is just not possible. The ideal solution is to have them in your own home where you can care for them yourself. A long-term care facility should be used as a last alternative because they will not be able to receive the same quality of care that you can provide and the transition from losing their own personal freedoms to those of a group home can be traumatic in its own right. A profound sense of loss can occur which furthers the confusion they are going through.

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