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| Elder Care Information |
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Honey, Where Are The Car Keys?
Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop? A: This is a great question and I have a lot of material to work with. My grand mother had made me the most beautiful doilies. One resident in my adult family home insisted that they were the ones she had made and took them when I wasn't looking. I would put her in bed at night only to find my doilies hidden in her diaper. After dinner one evening we discovered a client's $3000.00 dollar pair of hearing aids wrapped up in a nice little napkin and stuffed in her drinking cup. Some residents would go through others belongings, when I would suggest that they stop because the purse belonged to someone else, they would reply, "I know that" and would continue digging. The weirdest experience I had was a resident who liked to clothes shop so much that she would go shopping in other peoples closets. Invariably, just when you need something, it has disappeared, whether it's your doilies, car keys, glasses, or hearing aids. Hiding, hoarding and losing things are very common things you have to deal with when you are caring for a person with Alzheimer's. To cut down on the prospect of losing very important things, here is a list of things to do to help you. 1. Simplify your surroundings. You would be amazed at how much easier it is to care for a person with Alzheimer's if you aren't surrounded by clutter. If you lose something, you will have less to sort through to find it. 2. Keep really important things in a locked and secure place. 3. Childproof your cabinets and doors that you don't want your loved one rummaging through. 4. Don't leave things lying around. 5. Keep your loved ones glasses, hearing aids, and teeth in a plastic container or tub when you put them to bed at night. That way you will always know where they are in the morning. Here are a few other things to keep in mind. 1. People with Alzheimer's like to put their teeth and hearing aids in their napkins at meal time. Always check napkins before throwing them into the trash. 2. Check their wastebaskets before you throw out the trash. 3. Check their pockets before doing the laundry-if they haven't put something of value in them, I can almost guarantee that there is a Kleenex in them, a load of laundry washed with a Kleenex is the not very fun. 4. If a person with Alzheimer's is a wanderer you will want to check the sides of their chairs frequently also. While you may not be able to stop this behavior all together you might be able to control it a bit better with these tips. Renee "Dutchy" Reeves is an Elder Care Consultant with over 10 years of working with the elderly and their families. Her online advice column, "Ask Dutchy" provides practical ideas and advice for assisting the elderly with Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Parkinson's, disability, and those needing long term care.
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Alternative Medicine Feeling Lonely? Q: I hate Alzheimer's disease, not only has it robbed me of my husband, but it has taken my life too! I feel like all of my friends have disappeared. I am lonely, and that makes me feel guilty. Help! Board and Care Homes What Are They? Board and Care homes (also known as RCFE's - Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly) are residential private homes that have been licensed by the Department of Social Services to provide services to seniors. Most accept no more than six residents, but offer a cozy, home-like setting for frail seniors. At least one caregiver is on the premises at all times to assist residents. 10 Tips to Keep a Family Caregiver from Losing Their Mind Caring full time for a loved one can be a challenging task, and it takes a special person to get the job done right. Patience and compassion are the two top qualities a caregiver must possess in order to be successful. Caring for someone who suffers from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia can be an uphill battle at times. This requires planning on behalf of the caregiver in order to keep from burning out. The following are useful tips on how to remain a hardworking caregiver while maintaining your sanity: The Golden Years 1) What does Adrian Mitchell say we do to people when their working lives are over? Why Everyone Over 50 Should be Training for the Senior Games by Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A., FACHE Senior Games participant and author of Ready, Set, GO! Synergy Fitness - 2nd Edition Stair Lift Buying Guide There is no doubt that having a stair lift in your home can dramatically improve your quality of life. If you are starting to find that climbing the stairs is becoming a hazardous experience, or just hard work, then a stair lift could be the answer. Another solution could be to move to a single storey residence. However, this can be expensive and stressful, and many people are reluctant to leave a house that they have spent many years turning into a home. The Right Wheelchair Accessories Will Ease Your Life and Your Journeys on Wheels Wheelchairs come in every shape and size with sufficient options that you can find the wheels you like to take you where you want to go with the assistance you need. To enhance the comfort and convenience of your journey, choose accessories tailored to provide the best support for your activities and your health concerns. Introducing the Best Available Long Term Care Policy Guarantee If you are 60 to 70 years old ... or have a family member who is ... then what you are about to discover could help prevent the complete erosion of your estate. Just Give Them a Lot of Love and You?ll be Fine It was right about this time, 19 years ago. My wife and I were sitting in the very last Lamaze birthing class, soon to be brand new parents. I felt a wave of anxiety come over me. I had to ask the question. I raised my hand. The Nurse, her name was Dorinda, pointed at me and said, "Yes, you have a question." Did I have a question? I just knew EVERY Dad was wondering the same thing? "You have given us some great information, almost too much. I am afraid I am going to forget all this stuff?then what?" I could feel the other Dad's nodding. She smiled; she was very wise and patient. She had taught thousands of new Dads. "That's a great question," pausing for effect, she continued, "That little baby doesn't know you don't know. Just give him a lot of love, you will be fine." It turned out to be the best parenting advice I ever received. Caring for Aging Relatives It happens somewhat slowly in the beginning, maybe with a small cough that gets worse as time goes on. It might simply begin with absent mindedness which is totally out of character, followed by total memory lapses. What do we do when our parents eventually need taking care of after they have spent so much of their adult lives taking care of us? What precisely is a child's responsibility to them? Is it self-centered to relocate them into an assisted home? And which siblings should shoulder the responsibility? These are questions which plague families whenever a parent happens to become sick. Advocate For Senior Citizens Protecting Against Abuse and Fraud Ruth is 87 years old this year and has been living alone since 1997. She is in good health, however the daily chores around the home became increasingly difficult. Ruth turned to her church bulletin and found a 'Home Care Company' advertised. Senior Care for Alzheimer's As a person ages, a certain amount of memory loss and confusion is quite normal. Personally, I've been known to invoke the cliché, "The older I get, the better I was!" Unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease represents a more serious loss of mental sharpness and calls for special care for seniors. Arizona Senior Housing: Care Options for Seniors Who Can No Longer Live Alone The following are a few of the care options available for seniors who can no longer live on their own and require assistance with their Activities of Daily Living (ADL), or require skilled nursing care. Every state is a little different in terms of availability and cost, state regulations, and the specific names used for each care option: Compare Nursing Homes Finding the best nursing home is easier than you might think. That is assuming there is more than one nursing home in your area so that you have something to compare. The sad part is that the best nursing home is just the one that meets your expectations better than its competitors. That doesn't mean it is a good nursing home, it might even mean that it just isn't the worst. Senior Living: 5 Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Falling Every year we hear stories of seniors falling, ending up in hospitals and never fully recovering. Unfortunately, these falls often result in death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injury related deaths for seniors age 65 and older. Every year, approximately 35% to 40% of seniors over 65 years of age fall at least one time. The following are five ways to help reduce the risk of you or a loved one from falling: New Hope for Alzheimers Treatment There is now widespread agreement among research scientists and medical professionals that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a problem quickly growing to vast proportions. As the life expectancy of Americans continues to rise, increasing the percentage of the population over 65 years of age, so does the number of Alzheimer's cases. Short Trips Can Stimulate Alzheimers Patients Severe degradation of short-term memory means that my father, an Alzheimer's elder, is seldom interested in movies or books. And, although music used to be a source of enjoyment, he no longer listens with pleasure. Left to his own devices, he sits. . .and sits. . .and sits unless he's sleeping. What to do? Prevent or Delay Alzheimers Disease Argh! Where are my glasses? I put them down . . . to do what? And when? Assisted Living: Tips on How to Choose a Facility It is easy to be fooled by fancy drapery or expensive furniture that may decorate a care facility. Even though a facility looks high class doesn't always mean the care provided is first class. The following are just a few simple guidelines to follow when selecting either a nursing home or an assisted living facility: Review of the Changing Protein Requirements for Seniors Youth, it is said, is wasted on the young. Too busy figuring life they hardly take the time to enjoy it. Fortunately, with medical research and scientific progress, lifespans have doubled over the last century. We can now start life at fifty and have another go at youth. Health consciousness, appropriate diet and exercise, can make the later years of life a pleasant experience. Dietary principles play as especially important role in this regard. Compensating for the physiological changes of aging, they can give us better odds at achieving our genetically determined lifespans.
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