Helping Your Loved One Cope With Their Alzheimer's Disease: Treatments To Be Aware Of

When you have a loved one who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, you may wonder what, if anything, you can do to help them cope with and handle the situation. Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disease that directly affects tissues in the brain. However, this can have a much wider impact on a person, affecting them both mentally and physically. Get to know some of the different treatment options available that can help your loved one deal with these symptoms so you can be sure you are doing everything you can to keep your loved one as safe and as healthy as possible while dealing with Alzheimer's.

Medications for Memory Loss and Other Mental Symptoms

The primary treatment for Alzheimer's disease is to try to slow down the progress of the memory loss and other mental symptoms associated with the disorder. There are numerous medications available that are prescribed to deal with memory loss in Alzheimer's patients.

These memory medications work by blocking the destruction of certain neurotransmitters in the brain that often become damaged or destroyed as the plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease begin to take hold and grow in the brain. They can also regulate certain functions and activities in the brain.

Behavioral and sleep changes are common for people dealing with Alzheimer's disease, particularly as the condition progresses. While it is preferable to try non-medication approaches to control aggression, irritability, and other behavioral changes, sometimes medications like anti-depressants and anti-psychotics may also be helpful to keep your loved one calmer and improve their quality of life. If your loved one also has trouble sleeping at night or suffers from worsened dementia at night (referred to as sundowning), sleep aids may also be an option.

Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy

While there is no way to cure Alzheimer's disease or stop its progress, treatments like physical therapy (as well as occupational and speech therapies) can help keep your loved one going for longer. Physical therapy is a great option to maintain muscles strength, improve their balance, and manage any associated pain they may be experiencing.

Because people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are prone to falls (due to physical weakening as well as mental confusion), it is very important to help them improve their physical strength and balance. Along with these skills in physical therapy from places like Urban Wellness Clinic PC, Alzheimer's patients can also benefit from occupational therapy to help them with tasks of daily living and maintain their fine motor skills and muscle memory for important tasks. 

Speech therapy too can help to keep the brain active and maintain communications skills for as long as possible. While none of these treatments are cures for Alzheimer's, they will work in improve your loved one's quality of life and may prolong the progress of the disease so that they feel better longer, have more lucid days, and maintain their physical health as long as possible.

Now that you know more about some of the treatments that can help your loved one cope with their Alzheimer's disease, you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to help them get the care they need.

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