Finding caregivers for people with Alzheimers disease

One of the most dreaded diseases in old age is Alzheimers disease. Although unlike cancer and heart problem, this is actually not fatal. In fact, people with Alzheimers can live for a long time with proper care. That is actually the problem most of the time. With Alzheimers disease, the patient need to be taken cared of all the time. This is because the memory loss will often render the patient incapable of thinking and reasoning. Some will even forget how to do the simplest of tasks, like brushing their teeth and even eating with a spoon and fork. Alzheimers is a progressive and degenerative disease that affects the brain. The problem often leads to massive memory loss not only in terms of ones memories but also ones learning. Patients will forget everything that they have learned even routinary tasks that they have learned when they were just tots. Some people will also find it hard to learn new things and may even lose their language abilities. They will have difficulties in their speech and in their writing. Because of this, caring for a patient with Alzheimers disease can be extremely difficult. It is actually like caring for a newborn babe but while a baby will slowly learn to function independently, patients with Alzheimers will lose what they have learned and will slowly become more and more dependent with their caregivers. Thus, it is important to find a caregiver that is both professionally-capable and caring as they will determine the progress that the patient will have as well as their over all condition and behavior. Here are some tips in finding a good caregiver for an Alzheimers patient. Choose a professional It is good to look for a person that is already well experienced in caring for people with Alzheimers. Not only will their experience come in handy when it comes to dealing with the patients medicines and medical routines, they will also be more patient because of prior knowledge. One problem though in hiring these kinds of people is the money that you will shell out for their salaries. Private nurses and caregivers are expensive enough as it is without adding the burden of a specialization. If you just cannot afford to hire someone with enough experience, try one who has worked with old people and then give him or her materials that will make them familiar with the basics of the disease. Choose someone you know Nothing beats hiring someone that you already know or someone that you have already seen working. Patients with Alzheimers will have a lot of quirks and behavior that can be extremely irritating and difficult to deal with. Thus, it is important that you choose someone that you know will have a lot of patience and care. Of course, if a member of the family can spare the time for the patient, that is good. If not, you can ask for recommendations from people that you know. Chances are they know someone who can take care of a patient with Alzheimers. Choose someone strong Although this is actually not a major issue, it is also important that you choose someone who can deal with the patient and the often back breaking tasks. Remember that because the patient is full- dependent on the person, they will sometimes need to carry them or guide them when walking.

Allergy-free Dog Food, Is it the Best Solution?

Your pet dog is a unique companion that requires your love and attention. When your dog is suffering from any ailment or condition, you're also suffering. Sometimes, it's difficult to find out what causes such ailments, and many vets claim that it has something to do with food allergies. Around 10% of dog allergies are due to food. Allergies related to foods can be very alarming to the owner. If you frequently see your dog excessively scratching and itching, then your pet may have a certain food allergy. The most common food culprits are corn, wheat, and soy. There are also dogs allergic to beef and chicken. It would be best to bring your dog to a vet so that the doctor can give an accurate diagnosis and the proper way of treating your best friend. If your dog compulsively and excessively licks his foot, or bites or chews his other body parts, this is already a sign that your pet has an allergy. Usually, pet nutritionists and vets recommend the substitution of your dog's protein source. For this special purpose, lambs are often used to introduce something that's new to his diet. If you greatly rely on your vet, he would usually give you expensive formulas that are hypo-allergenic. But did you know that you can also figure things out by yourself? There are dog food mixes that are specially designed for those with food allergies. In the long run, these mixes can be expensive. You can begin giving allergy-free mixes so that you can closely control your dog's diet. The mixes contain vitamins and nutrients formulated exclusively for dogs. Try to experiment and introduce other protein sources and observe the dog's reaction for a few days. There are certain dog mixes that are chicken-based, while others have fish protein. Every now and then, change your dog's protein source and observe. If you finally found one that goes well with your dog and the allergies seem to improve, then stick to that diet. There are things to remember when you're introducing a new food for your dog. You must do it slowly for about six days. Use the ration 4 is to 1, with 4 being the old food. Do this gradually until the sixth day, when you've totally changed your dog's diet. Stick with the food for at least a week and keep a close watch if your dog develops a certain reaction. You can't solve the allergy problems of your dog overnight. Break your dog's food cycle by starting with a neutral food that's grain-free. After finding the right protein source for your dog, you can try re-introducing the grain back and see if there's an effect. Use your common sense; and if you choose to do things on your own, you can also save a lot of money. And remember that you should feed your dog with a well-balanced diet with the right amount of vitamins and minerals. The process of sensitizing your pet dog to a certain food agent and the complex antibody response which takes place in your dog's intestinal tracts are not yet well understood. Despite this fact, many vets and nutritionists know the symptoms and how to correctly diagnose allergies, as well as treating them. So you see, you can also try other alternatives in choosing your dog's food other than allergy-free foods. All it takes is patience, time, and common sense.