Caring For Your Loved One With Frontotemporal Dementia
When you have a loved one who is diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, you may not know what to expect or how to handle the situation. And, if you are the person who is in charge of their care and well-being, you may not know what you can do to ensure that your loved one remains as safe and healthy as possible. Luckily, there are several steps that you can take to provide your loved one suffering from frontotemporal dementia with all of the care they need. Get to know some of these steps and be sure that your loved one is happy and healthy in spite of their dementia.
Make Their Living Environment More Wheelchair Friendly
Frontotemporal dementia is a condition that often presents with both mental and physical symptoms. One of the most common early signs of this form of dementia is muscle issues and weakness.
Eventually, this weakness will make walking and other movements virtually impossible. As such, your loved one will likely end up in a wheelchair or even be unable to leave their bed sooner rather than later. To help with their mobility issues, you will want to ensure that your loved one's home is wheelchair friendly and accessible.
This will mean having ramps installed for stairs leading into the house as well as smaller staircases in the home. If they have several stories to their home, you will either have to move them onto the main floor or have motorized chairlifts installed onto the staircases. You will also want to clear walkways and living areas of clutter and any obstacles that could cause a hazard for wheelchairs to ensure your loved one can get to where they need to go.
Consider Hiring In Home Care Providers
Because your loved one with frontotemporal dementia will experience physical weakness as well as changes in behavior including aggression (as well as the standard memory loss associated with dementia), you may find it challenging to provide them with all of the physical services, such as bathing and grooming, as well as the emotional and supervisory support they need.
After all, you do need to sleep sometimes and you also have a family of your own and work to contend with. Due to these circumstances, you may want to consider hiring a supportive in home care service or provider for your loved one. These caregivers come into your loved one's home and provide assistance, companionship, and some even provide medical care.
You will be able to pick and choose the schedules and services provided so that your loved one gets everything they need while also allowing you to maintain your own life and career in the process. These caregivers are trained in providing dementia care and will be able to ensure that your loved one is safe even when you cannot be around to monitor them.
Now that you know a few of the steps that you can take to provide care and support to your loved one with frontotemporal dementia, you can get started and give yourself the peace of mind that you are doing everything in your power to make their life safe and healthy.
To learn more about supportive in home care, contact a company like Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care.
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