For the Caregiver of the Person With Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Care and Dementia Care

Because Alzheimer's and most other dementias are progressive in nature, you will not be thrown suddenly into a situation in which another person is totally dependant upon you for their care and well-being. You will have some time, or you have had time, to adjust and to learn your new role. This knowledge does not make the prospect or the task easier, but it does give you time to prepare.

There are many reasons to care for a loved one with dementia at home for as long as possible. Once you have made the choice to do so, do everything you can to make yourself and your home ready to be an effective, efficient caregiver. This Website is designed to help do just that. Use the information and the aids and the references presented here to help you be the best caregiver you can.

Preparing for Caring

Educate yourself about the disease. The more you understand the effects that Alzheimer's disease has and the ways that it affects the behavior and cognition of its victim, the better prepared you will be to help the person in your care. This knowledge will also help you to handle your own uncertainties and frustrations.

Prepare the home. People with most forms of dementia are prone to accidents and personal injury. While you are caring for a person with Alzheimer's or dementia in your home it is important to be aware of the risks and ways to lessen them. Open flames, obstructions that could cause tripping and falling, household cleaners that are poison, medications, and wandering are among the many things you should be aware of when preparing your home to care for a person with dementia.

Helping the person who has Alzheimer's with daily activities. As the disease progresses you will need to help more and more with the seemingly simple activities of daily living (ADLs). (more....)

Establish and maintain a daily routine. A predictable structure makes it easier for caregiver and patient, and ensures that those elements necessary to proper care don't get overlooked. The routine should include:

• Activities of daily living – hygiene, meals, and the other activities that make up this category. These activities will probably take up more of the day as the condition progresses.
• Sensory activities – Sensory stimulation is an important part of prolonging cognitive functioning. (more....)
• Social activity – Socialization is an important part or reality orientation. People with Alzheimer's disease tend to become withdrawn. As they loose confidence they avoid contact with others. Provide as much contact as possible with other people.
• Physical activity – Exercise is important to us all, especially as we grow older. To maintain our strength and flexibility it is crucial to keep active. Walking, stretching, and light lifting should be incorporated into the daily routine. Pay particular attention to the hands. The longer the hands remain strong and flexible, the easier the routine activities of daily living will be for the person who has Alzheimer's. Physical activity also increases blood flow throughout the body, and that will slow the effects of the disease on the brain.
• Relaxation and entertainment – It is important to schedule some time everyday to do nothing in particular, to get away from the concerns of the day. This might include a nap, especially if your loved one with dementia has trouble with sleeping, as is not unusual. Music, movies, old classic television programs that they remember are all relaxing as well as stimulating.

Practice sympathy. As difficult as your role as caregiver will be at times, it is minor when compared to the obstacles and the uncertainties and the fears of the person for whom you are caring. Many who suffer from Alzheimer's and dementia are aware that their facilities and abilities are slipping away. What they want most is to feel needed and to know that they can still be helpful and productive members of the family or community.

Communication is Key

Never stop communicating. As Alzheimer's disease progresses it slowly erodes the ability to communicate verbally. One of the classic symptoms of Alzheimer's is the difficulty of 'finding the right word' during conversation. Another is the impairment in structuring a logically sequenced sentence. These impairments are frustrating, as you can imagine, and likely have seen, but don't stop communicating. (more....)

You're Caring for Two

As the caregiver of a person who has Alzheimer's, or any other debilitating disease, you are responsible for the health and well-being of two people. To do your best job of careing for another person it is important that you maintain your own physical and emotional health. It is likely that the one you are caring for is your mother or father, or some other loved one. The emotional component makes the task even more difficult. You cannot do your best as a caregiver if you are exhausted, irritated, burned out.

If you are the primary caregiver for a person who has Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, there are many people you can go to for help and support.

• Medical Professional
• Clergy/Spiritual Advisor
• Family/Friends

Professional Residential Care

You may eventually have to find a residential facility for your loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia. This is a next step for you and the situation you are in, it is not a failure on your part. (This is important and bears repeating) It is not a failure on your part! At this time this is likely the best move for him, for his safety and well being. The professional care, the directed and personalized activities, and the social
      Failure comes in not visiting, frequently, your loved one once he or she is in a residential facility. You wouldn't do this, but some people do. One excuse we hear often is, "It's not important. They don't remember that I was here anyway." If you hear anyone using this (or any) excuse for not visiting a friend or family member who is in an Alzheimer's care facility, send them to this Website immediately!!! What is important is that they are enjoying the moment, that they feel useful and cared about right now. I feel that a person afflicted with dementia, even if they can't recall an event or an experience, does remember it at some level.