Quality of Life (part 2)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Care
Ethical Guidelines

For family members and caregivers:

Determining someone else's quality of life: Determining how another person would define quality of life is not easy, but it is extremely important. It is vital to avoid imposing one's own personal values and interpretation of quality of life on someone else. The abilities and interests of someone with Alzheimer's disease will change over time. However, every effort should be made, especially as the disease progresses, to provide an optimum quality of life for the person.

Effects of caregiving: Many caregivers derive a sense of satisfaction and growth from caregiving but may have difficulty balancing their own needs and those of the person with the disease. The tasks and responsibilities of caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease can have positive and negative effects on the quality of life of family members and caregivers. The degree to which their quality of life is affected may be influenced by:

the nature (parent, spouse, friend, lover) and strength of the relationship between the person with Alzheimer's disease and the caregiver;
the personalities of the person with Alzheimer's disease and the caregiver, and the ability of each to adapt to changes caused by the disease;
the psychological, physical, spiritual and financial resources of the caregiver;
other day-to-day roles and expectations, such as being an employee, parent, business person, volunteer;
the caregiver's location and place of residence, in relation to that of the person with Alzheimer's disease;
the opinions, views and demands of people outside the caregiving relationship;
a health-care system that seems to be placing more responsibilities on caregivers while providing less and less support.
Young children in a caregiver's family may find their own quality of life affected, as they may need support and attention that the caregiver is unable to give.

For health-care professionals:

Lack of understanding, training and human resources: Some health-care professionals who provide care for people with Alzheimer's disease lack.....read more about quality of life and come back for more information