7 Tips To Help You Remain Healthy During Flu Season

As a caregiver of someone with dementia, your health is extremely important. The tips listed below will help to ensure that you stay healthy this winter. The tips are courtesy of OurAlzheimer's.com
by Dorian Martin
In a Health Magazine story, "How Some Women Never Get Sick," on CNN's website that described seven secrets that help women avoid becoming sick. These seven tips (which are greatly expanded on the CNN website) include:

Get a massage. Health reports that massage "can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate -- and lowering these is likely to cause your stress level to drop, one key to building immunity." Another way to get the benefits is to use a stiff, natural-bristle brush while showering.
Take a cold shower. Although there's little...read the whole story
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Link to CNN story
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Alzheimer's Takes Its Toll on Caregivers

Liz Palka
WCAV TV
Charlottesville, Va

In many ways we lose our loved ones twice. Because as they're losing their memory, we're losing the connections we have with them," said Sue Friedman, President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association.

What would it be like for a loved one to still be with you, but they can't remember you? When all you have are the old memories and you can't make any new ones.

"It is the burden of being apart. Being married, but yet separated. Unable to realize what's going on, what's happening or how long this could go on," said Ward Campbell, whose wife has Alzheimer's.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's takes a tremendous toll on a person. Ward's wife Peggy was 65 when she was diagnosed with the disease. A year and a half ago, he made the difficult decision to place her in assisted living.

"I thought it was bad when I was taking care of her. It was tough, but she was....read the whole story

Alzheimer's, dementia and other caregivers, can enjoy better sleep

As stated in the last post, nighttime can be nightmarish for those who live with someone in the moderate-to-advanced stages of Alzheimer's or other dementias. The sleep patterns of caregivers over age 60 who provide direct, live-in care for people with dementia are significantly worse than those of noncaregivers, says a study in the new Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. These caregivers:

Get less total sleep (an average of 6.5 hours per night)
Take longer to fall asleep

What can caregivers do to improve their sleep?

Practice good sleep habits
click here to see what they are

Minimize the sundowning and wandering of the Alzheimer's or dementia person
click here for some tips

Think about night time respite care
read about it here

Get a depression evaluation
Here is some
valuable info

Join a support group
information
Alzheimers Association recommendations

Join an online support group
click here to join

More information on being a well caregiver
click here