Whether you are a caregiver by trade or you are providing care for a family member in need, caregiving is a challenging job. We're only human and we can't always be expected to know everything, which is the premise for Ask An Expert. When you have a questions about how to engage an elderly person who is bedridden or educational indoor activities to do with special needs children on a rainy day, we have answers.
Recently, we received the following question from an adult child caring for their elderly mother with Alzheimer's:
My biggest challenge in taking care on my mother who has Alzheimer's is keeping her from moving her hands all over the place when I'm changing her diaper. Do you have any suggestions on how to restrain her without causing her any stress?
We took to asking our resident expert Bonnie Hellickson, Gurnee, IL. branch manager. "My best suggestion, when dealing with busy hands, give them something to hold," Bonnie said. "Often the patient is trying to help the caregiver and does not realize they are making things more difficult." Bonnie suggests giving her a diaper to hold and manipulate, as they present a small puzzle for the patient to study. Small stuffed animals with gentle sound, music and colors are great too.
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Diagnosing even mild-to-moderate
dementia cases can be difficult. In fact, more than half of such cases are not recognized by physicians, according to a review of the literature at the
Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Family members and caregivers, in addition to many physicians, often overlook a decline in cognitive function as well.
As Baby Boomers age, the number of Alzheimer's cases is expected to surge from the already five million cases. Increased awareness and diagnosis will provide optimal care for the aging population. To improve prompt diagnosis, Diana Kerwin, MD, assistant professor of medicine and geriatrics, offers the following recommendations published in an issue of The Journal of Family Practice:
- Avoid age bias when determining the need for cognitive screening
- Screen the vulnerable elderly, or individuals 65 years of age and older who are at high risk of
death or functional decline, at the initial visit and annually after
- Test all patients undergoing cognitive screening for depression as well
For more information, visit our Resources page to download our "Is It Alzheimer's?" eBook.
Memory Tips for Making Life Easier TM by Shelley Peterman Schwarz, (
Attainment Company) delivers just what the title promises. It's full of practical, everyday tips to sustain a strong and supple memory and to aid professionals in working with clients who struggle with memory issues.
- Do it now. This is probably the most important memory enhancement technique. If you act immediately, you have no need to remember.
- Write it down. Write notes, make lists, create "cheat sheets" and construct timelines.
- Visualize. Form a picture in your mind. Use your imagination to add humor, action or exaggeration.
- Create rhymes and tunes. Use rhyming words or create new words for familiar tunes to help you remember tasks, sequences, dates and facts.
- Make up stories. Link items together in your mind by putting them in story forms. (Remember how story problems helped you learn math?)
- Develop acronyms. Using the first letter of each item you want to remember, create an acronym or funny phrase such as KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
- Make associations. Relate new information to something you already know.
- Group like items together. Organize your mind like a grocery or department store, with similar items or categories all in the same aisle.
- Divide and conquer. When learning something new, break up the subject into manageable sections and concentrate on one section at a time.
- Retrace your steps mentally to retrieve a thought, remember where you left your coffee cup, remind yourself what you were looking for or recall what you wanted to do next.
Shelley Peterman Schwarz was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1979, while working part-time as a teacher of the deaf. Despite being severely disabled, with only limited use of her left hand, she has published more than 500 articles and is the author of 7 books, including the bestselling Multiple Sclerosis: 300 Tips For Making Life EasierTM, Arthritis: 300 Tips for Making Life EasierTM, and Parkinson's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life EasierTM. As president of Meeting Life's Challenges, LLC, Shelley, as well as her staff and Web site provide information to help people living with chronic illness and age-related limitations cope with the challenges they face. She is also the host of the monthly Tips for Making Life EasierTM TV segment on the CBS affiliate in southcentral Wisconsin, as well as the host of the Making Life Easier Internet radio show (podcast). To sign up for the monthly e-zine, to listen to podcasts, to read Shelley's blog, and to learn about tips and products to help you on your journey, visit www.makinglifeeasier.com.
How can you tell if forgetfulness is the result of normal age-related memory changes or if it's the result of something more? This is a very important distinction to make, and the earlier the better. In addition to consulting with your physician, here are 10 common symptoms of Alzheimer's to guide you:
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks - People with dementia can find it hard to plan or complete seemingly simple tasks, including forgetting how to prepare their favorite meal or how to call a friend.
- Memory loss - Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia.
- Problems with language - People with Alzheimer's disease often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand.
- Disorientation to time and place. People with Alzheimer's disease can become lost in their own neighborhood, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.
- Poor or decreased judgment - Those with Alzheimer's may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the cold. They may show poor judgment, like giving away large sums of money to telemarketers.
- Problems with abstract thinking - Someone with Alzheimer's disease may have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are for and how they should be used.
- Misplacing things - A person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
- Changes in mood or behavior. Someone with Alzheimer's disease may show rapid mood swings - from calm to tears to anger and aggression - for no apparent reason.
- Changes in personality. The personalities of people with dementia can change dramatically. They may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful or dependent on a family member.
- Loss of initiative. A person with Alzheimer's disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities.
If you or a loved one experiences any of these symptoms, consider speaking with your physician about it. There are many viable options for allowing seniors experiencing symptoms associated with Alzheimer's to live a healthy, happy life.