The appearance of a person with Alzheimer’s can help to promote his or her self-worth, so it’s essential that a caregiver help them to get dressed and assist with daily grooming routines. Depending on the progress of the Alzheimer’s, your loved one may n
There are many ways you can help your loved one get dressed. Start by throwing away any clothes in the closet or dresser that he or she won’t ever wear. This can eliminate a lot of confusion in choosing what to wear. So that your loved one can stay independent, don’t choose exactly what they will wear each day. Instead, lay out a few outfit choices and let them make the decision for themselves.
If you find that your loved one likes to wear the same outfit each day, buy two or three duplicates of each article so that they wear clean clothes instead of ones they′ve worn earlier in the week.
On top of being overwhelmed by choices, Alzheimer’s patients often forget how to get dressed or where each article of clothing should go. Give them one piece of clothing at a time with specific instructions as to what they should do with it to prevent confusion. Do not ask them to just “get dressed” because they might not know what this implies.
For example, hand them their pants and ask them to put them on, repeating the same procedure with the rest of their outfit. Make sure they have comfortable, non-slip shoes and replace buttons, zippers and snaps with Velcro, which can be a lot easier for your loved one to handle.
Other grooming tasks, like managing hair, shaving and brushing teeth, are often forgotten about by Alzheimer’s patients. On top of forgetting how to do these things, they may just forget that they need to do them at all.
To encourage daily grooming, buy your loved ones favorite products so the activities are more enjoyable for them. Spend time with your loved one and get ready together so you can show them first hand how to do things and they can watch and mimic your activity.
Nail clippers, razors and other dangerous grooming items should be replaced to prevent injury. Invest in safer options, like emery boards and electric shavers. Going out in to public can be frightening for an Alzheimer’s patient, so see if your hair dresser or barber makes house calls. This way your loved one can have their hair cut, colored or permed in the comfort of their own home. Hygiene and safety are important but so isn’t independence. Do whatever you can to ensure your loved one has dignity as well as pride in his or her appearance.
Tags: Fitness
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