Mayo Clinic Health Manager

Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started

Free

E-Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Alzheimer's: Variety of long-term care options are available

Alzheimer's caregivers often need help. What are your options for long-term care?

By Mayo Clinic staff

Every caregiver dreads the time when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease becomes too difficult to do without help. It's often possible to postpone the decision to seek outside care for years, especially when the caregiver is the person's husband, wife or child.

Early on, many people with Alzheimer's do well at home. Eventually, though, even the most loving and accommodating family may be unable to meet the needs of a person with Alzheimer's and need to think about long-term care options for their loved one.

What is long-term care?

Long-term care may mean help from family and friends or a regular visit by a home health aide. Or it may mean moving your loved one into assisted living or a nursing home that can provide 24-hour medical attention. In fact, a variety of options are available, depending on where you live.

Selecting long-term care can be difficult, but determining your own needs and the needs of your loved one are the first steps in finding help.

Sharing the burden improves care

One obstacle you may need to overcome is your own reluctance to ask for help. You may be worried that your loved one won't feel comfortable with other caregivers. Maybe you think that no one else can provide care as well as you can. These reactions are common and, to some extent, may be valid.

But getting assistance can make caregiving less burdensome, both physically and emotionally. This assistance can provide other resources and skills that you may not possess and can give you a chance to rejuvenate your caregiving. Your loved one may actually improve with the help of such other resources. This improvement can lower your stress level as a caregiver.

Keeping your loved one at home

A continuum of options may be available in your community, including:

  • Respite care. Respite services offer care for your loved one, giving you occasional time off from your duties. Community organizations or residential facilities frequently offer these services. Respite care may be available through informal resources as well. For example, family, friends or neighbors may be available to help.
  • Adult day services. Also known as elder care programs, adult day services provide socialization and activities for adults in need of assistance. Some programs are specifically designed for people with Alzheimer's disease. These programs are generally available during daytime hours, usually weekdays only. Staff will lead various activities, such as music programs and support groups. Most will provide a lunchtime meal, and some will offer transportation to and from your home.
  • Home health services. The most common assistance involves personal care such as bathing, dressing and grooming and helping your loved one with eating and going to the bathroom. Some agencies also provide help with meal preparation and household chores. Most provide nursing care that may include injections of medications and assistance with wound care and medical equipment. Some agencies may also provide physical therapy.
Next page
(1 of 2)

AZ00028

Sept. 11, 2009

© 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Text Size: smaller largerlarger