How to Help a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Plan Final Arrangements: A Guide for Caregivers

Everyone handles grief differently. There is no right or wrong way to work through the pain of coming to the end of one’s life. This is especially true for someone suffering with Alzheimer’s disease, a neurological disorder where the death of brain cells results in memory loss and impaired cognitive functioning. You must have a great deal of compassion, respect and patience when handling emotional topics, like end-of-life care and funeral arrangements, for someone with Alzheimer’s.

More than 5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the most prevalent form of dementia. As symptoms get worse, people struggle to remember recent events, make decisions, and recognize familiar people. Eventually, your loved one will require constant care.

Alzheimer’s is incurable and irreversible. Though its progress can be slowed, once there is a diagnosis, you will want to take action to secure a comfortable future for your loved one. One way to do that is to have a conversation about final arrangements. This can be a difficult and uncomfortable discussion regardless of your loved one’s current health, but it can be even more unsettling when an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is on the table. Here are a few tender tips for starting that conversation and what you should ask to make sure your loved one has a say in his or her final arrangements. When planning a funeral with a person suffering from Alzheimer’s, you’ll want to know:

• How to start a conversation on such a sensitive topic
• What questions you should ask regarding final arrangements
• Ways to ask questions that are considerate of someone with Alzheimer’s