Alzheimer’s and Hospitals

Hospitals are going to be seeing more patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In January, the Alzheimer Society of Canada released a study called Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia in Canada. In 2008, over 100,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s and related dementia were diagnosed in Canada, carrying an economic burden of some $15 billion. According to the report, by the year 2038, Canada will have more than 250,000 new cases a year – about one every two minutes – with an economic burden of $153 billion!

“Hospitals and emergency departments especially will be seeing more seniors who have dementia,” says Judy Best, an RN who has extensive experience working with seniors and who operates Home Instead Senior Care in Oshawa, Ontario.

“Hospitals have difficulty handling patients with dementia,” says Best. “These patients can wander in and out of rooms, which increases the risk of infection. They might try to climb out of their beds, endangering themselves to a serious fall. They have poor judgment and may try to pull out tubes or IV. And because they can’t monitor themselves, they will likely go to the emergency department at the local hospital if they think they have a problem.”

In addition to working as a hospital nurse, Best was a client service coordinator and public education coordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough. She opened Home Instead Senior Care, a home care provider for seniors, in 2005. The organization has 26 locations across Canada, and provides such services as companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands and shopping. Best says that many of her current clients have Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

As far as caregiver training is concerned, Home Instead Senior Care developed the first training program of its kind for non-medical caregivers. The program gives its caregivers comprehensive practical training for those who suffer from Alzheimers. It includes:

• understanding the pathology and symptoms of Alzheimer’s and related dementias
• how to build a positive relationship with a sufferer
• how to work safely within the person’s physical surroundings
• how to manage their changing behaviour
• How to keep them active in daily tasks and independent for as long as possible.

“Our program is unique,” says Greg Bechard, who is involved with the Alzheimer Society of Peel’s training program for family caregivers and who operates Home Instead Senior Care in Mississauga. “It takes 90 days and involves actual testing. It includes placement in a dementia unit in a seniors’ residence or long-term care facility. And it includes a history of the disease and the physiology of the disease, along with how a caregiver should behave in certain circumstances.”

Judy Best says that if someone with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia is in hospital for another issue – such as surgery, treatment for cancer, etc. – it would be wise to have either a caregiver or family member on hand at all times. That means 24/7. “A person with Alzheimer’s is like a child who can’t describe what is wrong with them,” she says. “Having a person there around the clock can help decrease hospital costs by shortening the hospital stay. The hospitals recognize that this makes their job easier.”

Home Care Mississauga helping older adults and elderly live independently and safely at home. Please call 905- 276-2273.