Until there is a cure for dementias like Alzheimer’s, it’s essential to find alternative ways to alleviate the disease’s symptoms and challenging behaviors.
Your sweet-tempered father starts swearing and lashing out. Your mom lives with you but keeps trying to go “home.” Neither one makes bath time easy.
Anger and frustration. Wandering. Refusal to cooperate. There are many reasons your loved one with dementia may behave the way they do. They may be confused, anxious or scared, hungry or bored, in pain or not sleeping well – and unable to tell you with their words.
Does your loved one with dementia ask the same questions over and over – and over and over and over? Do they follow you around and hover in your personal space? Do they become angry or upset when you leave them in someone else’s care, even when you assure them it’s only for an hour? These behaviors are so common that dementia experts have terms for them: Perseveration and Shadowing.
Dentures in the silverware drawer. A favorite trinket hidden behind a stack of books. Hearing aids buried deep in a trash can. There’s no limit to where some people with dementia will hide their belongings to keep them out of the hands of “thieves.” And, when they can’t find their possessions later, family members are often the prime suspects.
Not everything gets better with age…lookin’ at you, knees. With the side effects of aging come the abundance of medications we add to our pillboxes, and with those come the potential for side effects of their own making. So, how do we make sense of unexpected – and unwanted – side effects of medications?
Our Veterans loved ones have gone above and beyond to serve our country. Now it’s our turn to serve them, but it’s not always easy when they require advanced care that we can’t provide – or pay for. Fortunately, there are resources available to Veterans and their spouses when they reach a point in their lives when they are no longer able to care for themselves.
Whether you’re lacing up your sneakers to run another marathon or finally finding the motivation to walk around the block, you’ll be glad you did. Taking care of your body not only helps you stay physically healthy but also has a direct impact on your mental and emotional well-being – and your memory.
We slather on lotions and sunscreen for healthy skin, watch our cholesterol levels for healthy hearts, and increase our calcium intake for healthy bones. But what about our brain health?
“There is much we can do to keep our brains in shape and memories sharp when we consider all factors that affect brain function,” says Andrea Shapiro, Community Relations Director at YourLife™ of Coconut Creek, a Memory Care community in Coconut Creek, Florida.
Whatever you’re thankful for this year – friends, family, elastic waistbands – you’re certainly going to be thankful for the continued health and safety of your senior loved ones and those who care for them every day. The holidays can be stressful for all of us, but they can be especially stressful for the family member responsible for your loved one’s care. Thanksgiving is the perfect reminder to say thank you.
Does your family go all out with the spooky cobwebs, witches, skeletons, and creepy soundtracks? For some of us, Halloween is a frightfully delightful time of year. For people with dementia, scary fun Halloween traditions – and even not-so-scary fun traditions – can be just plain scary.