Caregiving Maxim #18: Create a loving and healthy environment

This maxim is a very important concept. The patient has been a productive member of society before their illness. He/she may now feel like they no longer contribute to society or to the family. Their self-esteem may be suffering and the patient may feel useless and helpless.

Coming into a patient’s home is a challenge. The patient may not want to be cared for and may not want strangers in their home. The caregiver’s job is to be cheerful, to be loving and caring, to joke with the patient, and basically – to learn what the patient likes/dislikes and to create a caring atmosphere, while keeping the patient as healthy as possible.

There may be times when the patient is so testy that this is impossible. The patient may not want to be healthy and may refuse your efforts to keep up a proper diet (e.g., for diabetics or heart patients). The caregiver will have to assess whether or not this household will work with his/her personality. It may not. Accepting this and moving on to another caregiving assignment should be accepted.

Give the patient treats, like their favorite food, a milkshake, or dessert (if he/she can have them). My Dad loved cantaloupe, so I grew some in the backyard – the couple that actually grew turned out very sweet and he loved watching them grow. The patient with Alzheimer’s never loses their taste for sweets – both Dad and Mom loved See’s candies or Hershey’s. As they didn’t enjoy having a big meal at night, the candy actually supplemented their calories and allowed them to have small snacks in the late afternoon. Maybe not the healthiest outcome, but neither one had dietary restrictions.