With the observance of World Alzheimer’s Day this fall, Right at Home Warwick offered some insights on caring for people with the disease.

According to Naomi Cotrone, owner of Right at Home Warwick, 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a neurological condition common in the elderly. Symptoms include memory loss, impaired judgment, behavioral issues and  dementia

“The difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia is that dementia is a symptom, and Alzheimer’s is the disease,” Cotrone said. “During the assessment when we are talking to families about their concerns, often what comes up is forgetfulness, not understanding things, not being able to recognize the time of day and not doing essential things they do to take care of themselves like showering.”

Right at Home is an in-home care company that provides care for the elderly across the country, including the branch in Warwick. Cotrone said that not all of her clients have dementia or Alzheimer’s, but those who do need special steps to keep them comfortable.

“When treating someone with dementia, we’re coming into their living environment,” Cotrone said. “We’re basically following their lead. If they say the sky is green, we talk about why the sky might be green. Our folks aren’t looking to argue. But it depends on what the situation is. It’s respecting what they’re seeing and what they’re hearing, helping to redirect and creating a positive environment.

However, Cotrone said that certain situations call for different measures. She explained the client’s safety and comfort should take first priority.

“Often when a death is real [and the client still thinks someone is alive], what we did was have the family put together a photo album of their time together, and another with their death notice. We remind them that the loved one did pass away, but it depends on the situation. One of our clients, she was never given the opportunity to grieve because she moved from her home to assisted living and all over. Each day we remind her, and as long as we have the evidence to back up what we’re saying she gets it. And she grieves each time, which is completely normal because she forgets. But that’s where the redirecting comes in so we go right into an activity.”

Not all elderly people who suffer from memory loss are necessarily suffering from Alzheimer’s, however. Cotrone said that caretakers should check in with health professionals regarding a specific diagnosis for their loved ones.

“There are elderly people who live alone, have no one to help them, make a fall and could get brain damage,” Cotrone said. “There are folks with these incidents who don’t even get diagnosed so people assume it is dementia but it’s really something else.”

What is most important for Cotrone is that family members learn about how to best care for loved ones.

“The most important thing a family can do is getting educated as far as the disease is concerned, to use your local resources, to reach out to your community and reach out to us,” Cotrone said. “We believe in educating the community above everything.”

Cotrone first got involved in elder care after her grandmother faced severe cognitive decline after a fall. She said this helped her understand the ins and outs of taking care of those with dementia, and she is glad to work with others with these conditions.

“My favorite thing about what I do is the relationship that I develop with the clients and the trust that they have in me,” Cotrone said. “The fulfillment that they provide me at the end of the day knowing of the care that I’m putting in place for them and providing them with the folks helping them achieve their essential goal, whether it is nutrition, cognitive, range of motion, reducing depression, to have all of those things and have the clients able to say thank you.”