Alzheimer’s care at Highpoint Care

What Alzheimer’s care do you need?

Highpoint Care is a set of purpose-built elderly residential care homes, where we offer specialised support – including facilities and personal care for those with dementia-related illnesses. Our aim is to provide the highest standard of care in stunning, luxury accommodation where all our residents’ needs are met in a comfortable, happy, and above all safe environment.

What is Alzheimer’s?

The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, is named for Dr Alois Alzheimer who first described it. It is defined by a protein build-up in the brain. The proteins form structures called ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’, which cause a loss of connections between nerve cells and, eventually, kill the cells. There is currently no cure, but those with Alzheimer’s can be supported in their daily life at facilities like Highpoint Care.

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Causes of Alzheimer’s

How does Alzheimer’s affect the brain?

The brain is made up of millions of interconnected nerves that communicate messages to each other. There are certain chemicals in the brain that help with the transmission of these signals but people suffering with Alzheimer’s are missing a lot of these chemicals and the disease causes the nerve cells to break down.

As the nerve cells begin to die and brain tissue is affected, this destroys the connection between the cells and affects how the brain functions.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and as dementia progresses, the brain will be subject to more damage as time goes on, leading to worsening symptoms.

It is still not understood exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease but it is generally attributed to factors including age, genetics, environment and lifestyle.

Can environmental factors cause Alzheimer’s

There are studies to suggest that environmental and lifestyle factors may have an effect on whether or not someone develops Alzheimer’s. The link between cognitive decline and health conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease is also being investigated.

Research suggests that a combination of a healthy diet, good sleep, physical activity and mental stimulation can help people stay healthy and reduce the risk of cognitive issues later down the line.

Does old age cause Alzheimer’s?

Although old age is not the cause of Alzheimer’s, about ⅓ of people over the age of 85 have the disease, suggesting that it is largely age-related.

However, there are many people who live a very long life and never suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

Can genetics cause Alzheimer’s?

There may be fears of developing Alzheimer’s if there is a history of it running in the family. However, it is not certain that a family history means that you will develop it. Inherited genetics can affect the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s as both early-onset and late-onset Alzheimer’s have a correlation with genetics.

Impacts of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is a deeply upsetting and difficult disease for the sufferer and their loved ones to come to terms with. Alzheimer’s disease can seriously impact the emotional wellbeing of the individual and the stability of their relationships with those around them.

Difficulty managing emotions

People with Alzheimer’s often struggle to manage their emotions and will experience turbulent mood swings and changes in emotional responses. They may struggle to control their emotions or become easily irritable and may overreact to the slightest things.

These emotional difficulties can be hard for loved ones and carers to manage. It can also be very frustrating for the person with Alzheimer’s as it is frightening and confusing to experience memory loss and cognitive decline.

Low self-esteem

Alzheimer’s disease can leave sufferers feeling insecure as they may feel like they have lost control and may no longer have faith in themselves. If they feel like they are being treated differently as a result of their diagnosis, this may contribute to feelings of low self worth and esteem.

It is important that people with Alzheimer’s have a lot of emotional as well as physical support. It is an extremely debilitating and isolating disease and having strong emotional connections with a support group who are able to empathise can massively help.

This is why activities such as attending local support groups can help people cope with their condition and meet other people who are going through the same thing.

Changing relationships

Alzheimer’s can really change relationships. As the disease damages the brain, this can lead to changes in close relationships. Loved ones might feel as though they have lost the partner they once knew and this can be extremely upsetting.

However, there are ways to overcome challenges in the relationship. Alzheimer’s disease can affect relationships with people who feel unable to support the person or handle their behaviour.

There can be disagreements between family members regarding care and finances. The Alzheimer’s Society can help families to reach an understanding about how best to care for their loved one.

Guilt and grief

Caregivers and family members may experience feelings of guilt and grief when it comes to caring for a loved one or family member who has Alzheimer’s disease. There might be feelings of guilt as a result of how one might feel towards the person with dementia, i.e. feeling guilty for getting angry at them or embarrassed by their behaviour.

If the person with Alzheimer’s goes into residential care, it may also evoke feelings of guilt that you could not care for them yourself at your own home. However, the caregiving skills required to look after a dementia sufferer are demanding and as dementia symptoms worsen, the responsibility of personal care may become too much to manage. You do not want to put your own health and wellbeing at risk as a result.

This is when it might be time to consider residential or respite care where your loved one can be supported by full-time professional carers. Bring up the conversation with your loved one who is suffering and see what the person prefers. There are local resources and support (many of which can be found on the Alzheimer’s Association website) that can assist with finding a solution that will work best for both you and your loved one.

More Information

For more information, or if you would like to find out how and what we do to take care of our residents, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01744 454546, fill in our quick enquiry form or email our customer services team on customer.services@highpointcare.co.uk and we will be happy to answer any and all of your questions.