How You Can Support a Senior During a Short-Term Stay in Assisted Living
After a surgical procedure or hospitalization, the physician may recommend rehab in a facility prior to when the person returns home. This is usually a short-term period of intensive therapy to promote healing and recovery. However, the idea of moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home even for a few weeks or months […]
Health Conditions That Cause Mood Changes in Elderly Individuals
We all have good days and bad days, and we are all entitled to a bit of negative thinking or crankiness occasionally. If you are taking care of a loved one who appears to have fallen into a routine of ongoing complaining and negativity, however, it is worth exploring whether a health problem may be […]
Fun Activities for Seniors with Dementia and Low Vision
Finding activities which can be engaging and fun for a family member with dementia tends to be a challenge. Add in vision impairment, and it might seem extremely daunting. Yet it is very important to ensure every day holds opportunities for joy, purpose, and meaning – minimizing the level of frustration, agitation, and other difficult emotions […]
How Creating a Memory Book Can Help a Senior with Dementia
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss Memories are the glue that binds together our past with who we are today; and for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease, confusion around these memories may have a deep impact. One of our goals in caring […]
Dementia Caregiver Tips: How to Handle Shadowing
Primary caregivers for those with dementia are frequently all too familiar with the complications experienced in trying to take a quiet moment or two alone – to use the bathroom, get a quick shower, and even step into another room. Those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can experience enhanced fear when a family member is out of […]
Differentiating “Senior Moments” from Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
You altogether forgot about the physician’s appointment scheduled for last Wednesday, misplaced your sunglasses for the umpteenth time, and cannot remember the name of the new neighbor for the life of you. Is all of this simply a regular part of aging, or could it be the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of […]
How to Help Someone with Dementia Who Refuses to Change Clothes
Being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia requires creativity, patience, and empathy, the ability to step away from your individual reasoning and logic and realize why a certain behavior is occurring, and then to determine how exactly to effectively manage it. That’s certainly the situation with a family […]
How to Handle False Accusations When Caring for Someone with Dementia
It may come seemingly out of thin air: you put your loved one’s favorite tuna sandwich in front of her – light on the mayo, no onions – something which usually brings her enjoyment. But today, she forces the plate away and refuses to take a bite, insisting that you’ve poisoned the sandwich. Or, you’ve […]
How to Respond When a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Has Loss of Inhibitions
Awkwardness. Discomfort. Disbelief. Shame. Most of these feelings can cycle through a family caregiver’s heart when your family member with Alzheimer’s disease displays disinhibited behaviors, such as: Rude or tactless comments Unacceptable sexual advances or remarks Removal of clothes at improper times And other socially unacceptable actions The complex changes that occur to the brain […]
A New Disease That Mimics Alzheimer’s: LATE
An individual who exhibits memory loss, confusion, poor judgment, repetition, and challenges with performing daily activities has the telltale symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, right? As a matter of fact, what seems to be an obvious case of Alzheimer’s may in fact be a recently discovered dementia. Known as LATE, or limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, this […]