5 Things That Cause Visual Problems for Seniors With Dementia
When your senior is in the early stages of dementia, they may not even know they have this disease unless they go to their doctors regularly. This is a disease that can gradually progress, and it can be dangerous for a senior to live at home alone. Luckily, in this day and age, there are tons of options like hiring elder care professionals to help your seniors live at home for longer. Elder care is a great option for seniors in the earliest stages of dementia.
Elder Care in Avon IN: Vision Issues
Dementia affects more than simply memory. Also, visual-spatial abilities may be affected. Elderly people with visual-spatial difficulties may have a hard time driving, reading, or identifying items because they cannot perceive and interpret the things around them, including their positions and sizes. Dementia may cause a variety of health issues.
Visual Problems May Be Caused By Memory Problems
Dementia may impact lifelong skills like writing and reading that your senior loved one has honed over the years. While reading, someone with memory loss may find it difficult to grasp what they’re reading. As memory loss worsens, your loved one may find it more difficult to call on previously acquired material while engaging in an activity like reading. Your loved one doesn’t have to give up reading because they have memory problems. Dementia patients might benefit from specially adapted reading material or audiobooks.
They May Be Suffering From Nerve Degeneration
Eventually, as dementia advances, the brain tissue degenerates due to the confusion of nerve cells and neuronal connections. It may be challenging to maneuver a flight of stairs or pick up goods from the table or floor, increasing the danger of a fall as the brain degenerates. Contact elder care assistance if your elderly loved one has been diagnosed with a severe illness and needs assistance with daily activities such as food preparation or transportation.
They May Be Suffering From Loss of Blood Supply
The second most frequent kind of dementia is vascular dementia. For an extended time, a blood clot prevents enough blood flow to the brain, resulting in vascular dementia (stroke). Parts of the brain that have lost their blood flow may no longer function as well as they previously did. Your loved one’s visuospatial skills may decline if the frontal or temporal lobes are affected by a stroke.
It Could Be from Medication
Prescription drugs for dementia may impair visual-spatial awareness and lead to wandering in your loved one. Although your loved one may have been to the park many times before, they may still get lost on the way there. Or, they may stroll out the front door because they’ve forgotten where the bathroom is. If your loved one is prone to straying, talk to their doctor about modifying their medication. If you don’t have experience or training in-home care, it might be difficult to look after a senior relative, but you don’t have to face this difficulty alone.
Brain Communication Issues
The brain must connect with the eyes and nerves to function properly for visual-spatial skills. These connections may break down in old age, making it harder to recall where things should be placed in our environment. For example, many elderly people with dementia have difficulty finding their clothing in the closet or putting food in the pantry. Even with the best intentions, caring for a senior loved one with dementia may be a difficult task for the involved family members.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care in Avon, IN, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: (317) 471-0760
As a practicing Registered Nurse, Etelka was keenly aware of a void in quality patient care that could be provided in the home. She embarked upon a journey to develop a home health care agency that would exceed all expectations and become a trusted partner to physicians and patients.
A Distinguished Career From Nurse to Director of Nursing to President of Home Services Unlimited
Etelka’s distinguished career followed a logical progression to her position as President of Home Services Unlimited. She graduated as a nurse practitioner with a Bachelor of Nursing (RN) in 1972 from Meshgorya University in the Ukraine, close to where she lived with her family. She married her husband Phil in 1973 and decided in 1977 that they would relocate to the United States to be closer to family and to come to this land of opportunity. With an eagerness to continue her budding career, Etelka sat for and passed her Boards in the U.S. in 1979.
A Love and Talent for Working with the Elderly
Etelka began her nursing career in the U.S. at Colonial Crest, now part of Golden Living, where she was the In-service Coordinator, the Director of Training and Education and Director of Nursing, a position she occupied for several years.
With a group of partners, she co-founded Adept Corporation, which operated group homes for the mentally challenged. The business was successful and in 1996, Etelka sold her share to return to her roots, caring for the elderly.
In January of 1997, Etelka opened Home Services Unlimited as a fully licensed business to provide home health care. In her quest to learn to do better for her patients, she had already obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) in May of 1990 from the College of St. Francis. As President of Home Services Unlimited, Inc., Etelka guides the trusted, experienced care model Home Services Unlimited uses to continue providing excellent home health care.
Giving Back to the Community of Indianapolis
Volunteering for community services is a high priority for Etelka. Her memberships include the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Executive Women in Health Care and the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.
Etelka has also served on the Board of Directors with Hooverwood Home, a highly regarded geriatric facility, since 1997 and as the President for 2005-2006. Through her community work, she has received several awards and accolades, including the Nora McFarland award in 2002, from the Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care.
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