It is a well-known statistic that women are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and more women are affected by the disease. Over two-thirds of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are women and women over 65 years of age have a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s. However, it doesn’t matter how many women have the disease. What matters is how we care for them. Women with Alzheimer’s, especially, need a certain type of care.
For example, say there is a woman who has gone to the hairdressers every week for all her life to get her hair done. Or went every week to get a manicure or pedicure. Or they were the woman who never went anywhere without makeup. All of this should not just disappear because they have Alzheimer’s. Here are a few tips to care for the woman in your life with Alzheimer’s to make them feel special, and feel like they did before Alzheimer’s:
- Hair: Hire a hairdresser to come to wherever your loved one is to do their hair once a week, or whenever necessary. This could be a perm, blow-out, color, just a haircut, or even just styled. Combing their hair, or a quick style should be apart of their daily routine as well.
- Makeup: Even if it’s just a little powder or lipstick, applying a bit of makeup to a woman can help brighten her up. Especially if they are used to doing their makeup every day, it’s good to keep that as part of her daily routine. Don’t go too overboard, but keep it simple.
- Nails: Making sure nails and toenails are clipped and filed regularly is a matter of health, but you can go beyond that and add some polish to spice things up. Painting your loved one’s nails or toenails can help make them feel pampered. If they are able, it may be beneficial to even take them to the nail salon to get the full experience.
- Dress: Especially if your loved one was always “dressed to the nine’s,” they should still be able to dress nicely, even if they have Alzheimer’s. Lay out a few outfits each morning that your loved one can choose from to help simplify the process. There are certain precautions to take when choosing attire for your loved one, but they should still be able to wear stuff that they like and feel good in.
When creating a daily routine for your loved one, it’s important to think about how they used to spend their days. If they woke up every morning to do their hair, makeup, and get dressed, then keep that routine. It will not only help them to have a routine, but it will also make them feel good about themselves to be properly groomed and taken care.
