Top Strategies for Late Summer Sparkle with Those Who Have Dementia

PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 04, 2008 – Over 5.2 million people in the US now have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. We all benefit from being out in the great outdoors. The sunshine, the smells, the sounds, usually bring back happy memories. People with dementia should have this opportunity too.

Following these tips will ensure you and your loved one or client, with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia will have a pleasurable summer.

Structure and routine.
Try to follow regular predictable routines that include pleasant familiar activities. Remind the person that everything is going according to plan. Designate a certain time to go for a walk or sit in the backyard together.

Pleasant outdoor and indoor activities.
Make time for simple pleasant activities the person knows and enjoys---listening to music, watching a movie or sporting event, sorting coins, playing simple card games, walking the dog, playing catch,or dancing can all make a big difference.

Keep things simple.
Break down complex tasks into many small simple steps that the person can handle (e.g. stirring; folding towels while doing the laundry). Allow time for frequent rests.

Redirect
Sometimes the simplest way to deal with agitated behavior is to get the person to do something else as a substitute. For example a person who is restless and fidgety can be asked to sweep rake or cut grass dust fold clothes or take a walk with the caregiver. Someone who is rummaging can be given a collection of items to sort and arrange. Have a box of items for outside too.

Refocus.
Sometimes it is enough to offer a snack or put on a favorite videotape or some familiar music to interrupt behaviors that are becoming difficult.

Have flexibility.
Your loved one might want to do some activity or behave in a way that at first troubles you or may refuse to do something you have planned like taking a bath. Before trying to interfere with a particular behavior, it is important to ask yourself if it is important to do so. Even if the behavior is bizarre, it may not be a problem especially in the privacy of your own home

Soothe.
When the person is agitated it may help to do simple repetitive activities such as a massage or hair-brushing.

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Communication key to Alzheimer's and related dementia care

Here is another piece about communicating with those who have Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

Published Monday 28th July 2008 in General news

Alzheimer's Society comment: Adults with Alzheimer's disease who are talked to like children are more resistant to care

This is according to new research presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD).

Good communication skills and regular interaction are vital when caring for people with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. This research shows that speaking to people with dementia in an adult manner not only enhances their quality of life but also improves the entire care experience.

Quality care relies on simple principles and even small changes can vastly improve quality of life for people with dementia. Alzheimer's Society research is calling for mandatory specialist dementia training to help empower staff and ensure everyone gets access to a high standard of care.

For more information from the Alzheimer's Society click here

Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer's

Here is another helpful article on communicating with someone who has Alzheimer's disease or another dementia
Originally posted: July 28, 2008
by Judy Graham
There is no manual for learning how to communicate with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.

You watch. You listen. You try to intuit what they can no longer say. You use everything you know about that person to make sense of their reality.

I know, because my father had Alzheimer’s disease and several other relatives have suffered from dementia. At the end, my father couldn’t put a sentence together. But still, the last time we hugged, he managed to say, "I love you."

I think I knew then the end was coming, in that way you know things without knowing how.

I think I knew then the end was coming, in that way you know things without knowing how.

I was living in New York City at the time; he was in Chicago. Back then, I thought it was the close of a stage of our relationship. But my next trip to Chicago, the city of my childhood, was for his funeral.

Peter Stathakis, 59, is living with the situation now, caring for his 84-year-old mother 24/7 at her house in Brookfield. He describes her as in the "mild to medium" stage of dementia.

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