How Alzheimer’s Can Cause Hoarding and How Elder Care Can Make a Difference in Lowell, MI
Hoarding, for some people, can approach a level of being dangerous. It can lead to isolation and it can also lead to a major fire hazard. One of the key problems with hoarding is that often, the person who hoards does not have any organization with the things they have and will tend to keep piling them up, which can lead to difficulty navigating their own house, and makes it tougher for emergency personnel to get in and help them. Alzheimer’s can exacerbate hoarding behavior, but proper elder care can make a difference.
For some people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, if they were collectors in the past, then they may end up becoming hoarders as the disease progresses. This is most common within people who had a tendency to experience anxiety on a regular basis in the past. When facing the prospect of aging, especially with this type of dementia, they may feel overwhelmed and frightened by what may be looming in their future. This can lead to hoarding behaviors.
Home care for the elderly has the ability to help them in these situations because having someone working with them, coming to their home and supporting them, especially someone who has experience working with people who have also had this disease, can calm the anxiety.
Another reason why Alzheimer’s could trigger hoarding is because when people understand the progression of the disease and know that they will be losing their memories over time, then this can lead to them wanting to hold onto as much as they can, so that they will be able to ‘remember’ the things that they had better. This doesn’t work, but it’s the comfort factor that leads to being reluctant to let go of things.
For other patients, hoarding is about confusion. They simply don’t know how to handle certain situations, and can’t figure out what’s best to do with certain things. While you or I would be able to look at something and know that it has no value to us, or that we’ll never use it, the same isn’t true for someone with Alzheimer’s.
Relying on elderly health care at home can provide the Alzheimer’s patient with someone who can support them, who can guide them, and who can work with them to keep from collecting to many items that can cause a dangerous situation. Consider talking to your loved one about elder care if you notice hoarding behavior, especially in one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
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