Alzheimers Tips

Alzheimer's The Need to Run Away

You'll probably read about wandering and Alzheimer's. What I would like to talk about here, however, is you running away. One day, every day, or at some point you will feel like you want to run away from this situation. Alzheimer's isn't like a cold that gets better, a tumor that gets cut out, or even a migraine. It's constant, invisibile, and tenacious. It's natural to want to run from it all. When these feelings emerge, be selfish, enlist friends and family to give you a break. The burden isn't all supposed to fall just on you. It just feels that way. Do what you need to do to get a break, whether it's a few hours, a day, or a week -- do run away; so that you can come back.

Northwester Offers Great Alzheimer's Tips

Some of the most practical info I've ever read:

http://www.brain.northwestern.edu/patients/care.html

Structure the environment

• Perhaps the most useful factor in preserving orientation is creating a home environment that is simple, orderly, and predictable, yet also allows freedom of movement. The more variability in the patient's surroundings, the more likely it is that he or she will become confused and disoriented.


• One room, or a portion of a room, can be modified to fit the needs of the patient as an "orientation area." This helps create simplicity and order in the home environment. This orientation area should be centrally located and easily accessible.


• Items essential to the patient for daily living activities, such as eyeglasses, keys, and writing accessories, might be placed in this area. Thus, the orientation area can serve as a focal location in which the patient can find orientation clues, specific information, and items needed in the course of a day.


• A clock (perhaps digital), a calendar, and a bulletin board or slate will provide a means for keeping track of the time and important messages.


• A daily schedule of activities for the patient and family members should be posted to assist the patient in remembering what appointments or activities are scheduled and where family members are at all times.


• Labeled pictures of family members, close friends, or pets will help the patient associate names with faces (such as, brother John); our cat (Sigmund).


• Structure can be imposed on the remaining portions of the house by labeling drawers, closets, or rooms.


• Avoid changing the arrangement of furniture, color schemes, or anything else that will reduce familiarity of the surroundings.


• Make sure that frequently used areas such as the bathroom and hallways are well lit at night.


• Keep the bedroom located as close to the bathroom as possible and have conspicuous cues directing the patient to the bathroom.

Celebrate the Parts that Still Work: Alzheimer's Bit By Bit

My father used to be able to quote P/E ratios of stocks in his portfolio. Now he's more likely to blow up an egg in the microwave. Slowly he's lost many mental abilities, much like turning off circuit breakers one at a time; you can see each room growing dim as a circuit closes down.

Then again, he'll still make the same jokes, tell the same stories and likes the same things as he did before. Try to expect less, enjoy the parts that still work.

"Alz" proofing the house: An Alzheimer's House

Most people are ready to "child-proof" their homes when babies start crawling and toddlers start poking around in every nook and cranny. "Alzhiemer's" proofing your home, however, can unexpected and be an even greater challenge. Depending on how Alzheimer's has affected the person in your home will affect what you need to alter, but be prepared to alter.

For example, have they lost the ability to figure out the proper amount of time to heat something in the microwave, but still retain the urge to "use" the microwave? If the microwave is built into a cabinet, it's tougher to unplug it.

Do they wander around and turn off all the lights out of habit, even if others want them on? Some switches might need to be "taped" over. Is the stove still accessible to them? Do they want to put the kettle onto the gas stove? It may mean that the kettle has to be hidden.

One suggestion is to "groove" them into a path, a routine that let's them do what they want to do, but leaves other things safetly untouched outside of their path. For example, create a special nook or corner on the kitchen counter that has "their" stuff. Maybe a box of biscuits or snacks keeps them coming back to rummage there. This could keep them away from poking around in other cabinets.

Do they have a favorite chair in the living room that's exclusively theirs. Keep some newspapers, magazines or knitting supplies there. This gives them a place to go to when bored, rather than wandering to other parts of the house.

Periscope: The View From Within an Alzheimer's Submarine

Imagine viewing the world thru a periscope, there's a limited view, and just one pipe that everything needs to get thru. In contrast, adults without Alzheimer's have learned to take in a "wide-view" of the things around us.

For example, while driving we're constantly looking at the side-mirrors, back mirrors, watching our speed, the sidewalks for pedestrians and kids, etc. An Alzheimer's tank is much more methodical and brute force. It sees dinner and goes to eat dinner, there's no idle chit-chat to distract.

Keep this in mind when trying to get someone with Alzheimer's to do something, just focus on conveying only the information necessary to get down that periscope. He'll be watching and waiting.