RetirementHomes.com - Alzheimer's Care

7 Tips for Communicating with Someone with Dementia

aadmin — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 14:02:32 +0000

Dementia is a progressive illness that can affect an individual's ability to remember a conversation, fact or name of family members or friends. This can be frustrating not only for the person with the illness, but for people around them. They could be having a conversation and forget what they were talking about by losing train of thought or have difficulty in organizing words logically. When communicating with someone who has dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, there are several ways to help improve conversation.

1. Use familiar words and speak clearly and slowly. This allows time for a response and to comprehend what is being said.

2. Be patient and supportive. You need to let the person know that you understand what they are saying and show that you care about what it is they are talking about.

3. Give encouragement to keep trying to say what is on their mind. Sometimes the person with dementia will get frustrated or stop talking, but with a little encouragement they may continue what they were talking about or start up a new conversation.

4. Give time to respond. Avoid any kind of interruption. If the person with dementia has trouble organizing their thoughts then let them know that you are there to listen. Don't interrupt when they are speaking and allow them to say what is on their mind and when there is a pause let them know you want to hear what they have to say.

5. Give simple choices. Always avoid anything that may be too complicated such as a large menu of choices. Go to a familiar restaurant and ask them what they want, and suggest their favorite dish. Otherwise they may feel frustrated because they can't remember what certain foods taste like or what certain things are.

6. Avoid correcting the person with dementia. This is not encouraging them to keep talking when you correct what they say, or correct the facts they are talking about. This will help prevent arguing, as well.

7. Limit distractions around you as much as possible. Sometimes this can be very difficult, but if it is hard to hold a conversation then ask them to point out what they are referring to or write it down or even use gesturing. This allows for a wider range of communication to happen.

These seven tips will help improve the conversation you will have with a family member or friend that has dementia. It can be frustrating for everyone involved, but with a little patience and encouragement to keep a conversation going, communication will become a little easier.

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Alzheimer's Care

Brain Health

Senior Living

Practical tips for interacting with an Alzheimer's sufferer

aadmin — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:30:22 +0000

By all estimates, there are over 4.5 million people in the U.S. afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and the Alzheimer’s Association found that the illness is the sixth most common cause of death in the United States, a jump of 68 percent from 2000 to 2010.

If you feel that a friend or family member is showing the signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s you should encourage them to seek medical attention and go with them to discuss stages and expectations with the physician.

Medical Assessment When Alzheimer’s is Expected

Physicians may suggest a blood test to determine if the APOE-e4 gene is present, it is the strongest risk gene for Alzheimer's as well as other tests such as Mental Status Tests, Mood Assessment, Mini-Cognitive and perhaps a brain imaging test.

These combined will help assess the patient and let the caregiver know what stage they are in and the specific type of care required.

Caring for Those with Alzheimer’s

Once diagnosed, the following tips can help those with Alzheimer's Disease:

Limit choices so the person does not have to make decisions which can be difficult and frustrating.
Remove distractions such as TV while the person is eating, bathing or doing other activities, as this distraction may take their mind away from the task at hand.
If the individual has difficult remembering things from the past, often they comforted by music from their past.
Make sure they are in a safe environment, where they can easily get around with a walker
Use cabinet locks and make sure drawers within reach don’t contain harmful objects or medication.
Make sure to keep a comfortable temperature; those with dementia or Alzheimer’s tend to be more sensitive to cold.
Make sure you have fire alarms and fire extinguishers readily available in case they forget to turn the stove burners off.
If the senior with Alzheimer’s experience difficulty communicating, write things down. Suggest that friends/family send notes rather than call. They can review the notes and may not remember a phone call.
Speak to the person face-to-face and maintain eye contact.
Don’t try to finish their sentences, let them try to respond.
Use short sentences and make just one point to avoid confusion. Use easy words that they will be able to easily understand.
Avoid words like: him, her, it, they, etc., they may not remember who you are talking about, use names instead.
If they are able to do so, you may want to play a simple game like Bingo, puzzles or easy card game.
Read something a chapter from a book they may have read in the past and enjoyed.
Look at photo albums, specifically with photos of the individual at an earlier time in life, which may spark reminiscing about the past.

Surely, tending to those with Alzheimer’s can be challenging, but knowing these simple tips can help you get through this difficult time and help the individual suffering from the disease a better quality of life.

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Nursing home versus home care: How to decide

aadmin — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:51:56 +0000

As the substantial baby boomer population continues to age, more adults are presented with the dilemma of what to do in terms of long-term elder care. Often, the question comes down to whether or not you, or an aging loved ones, should age in place with the assistance of a home health care provider, or move into a nursing home. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but the answer should be determined based a holistic perspective of what is best for the individual physically and emotionally.

Has an assessment been done recently?

A comprehensive assessment is the best place to start. If the senior is in the hospital, this assessment can be done by the medical team. If the senior is living at home, the assessment can be done by a reputable home health care provider. During the assessment, professionals will determine healthcare needs, social needs, and mental/emotional well-being, as well as the resources available in the home. The results of the assessment can be used to determine a long-term care plan, which may be graduated to include a home health care aide and transition to a nursing home when the time is right.

What is the status of the senior's physical health?

While caregivers are trained to provide basic day-to-day services such as meal preparation, house cleaning, some mobility assistance, bathing and grooming assistance, and medication reminders, they are not medical professionals. If you or your loved one has more serious medical complications, a nursing home can provide trained medical staff, 24/7.

Can the home be easily adapted for accessibility?

One of the main concerns for seniors who age in place is physical safety. The home assessment will determine whether the home is safe, or can be affordably adapted to meet the senior's long-term mobility needs. If it is not an easy retrofit, recommendations may be to move to a smaller, accessible location, or to an assisted living community so the senior can have independence as well as a built-in community of peers and trained staff.

What are the senior's social needs?

Some seniors are true homebodies, with little need for outside stimulation. Others are more social and aging in place can cut them off from friends and loved ones, which often leads to depression. Home health care providers can serve as companions, and transport the senior to favorite groups, activities, appointments, etc. If this is not enough to keep the individual stimulated, or a senior has more progressed stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s, it might be time to transition to a nursing home.

Does the senior need round-the-clock care?

Often, people are under the assumption that if seniors need 24-hour care, they should be moved to a nursing home. This is not always the case. Many home health care services provide 24-hour care, depending on the needs of the individual.

Once you have worked your way through these questions, you will have a better idea of whether home health care or a nursing home care is the right option for your needs.

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Alzheimer's Care

Skilled Nursing

Music brings back Memories for Alzheimer's Patients

aadmin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:08:20 +0000

Music has permeated business settings for many years, especially the hospitality industry.

Designed music streams through restaurants and hotels to help clients relax, identify with brands, and reach for their pocket books.

Leanne Flask, from Austin, TX, has been in the vanguard of branded background music for over a decade. Now, her aural role has expanded into Co-founder, Chief Content Officer of Coro Health, where she develops streaming music for healthcare environments.

Under Flask's guidance, Coro Health's programs help stimulate cognition and alleviate depression in Alzheimer's patients. The programs are set up on streaming platforms through computers or recently launched apps for iPhone and iPad.

According to Flask, the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is the center for music, memories, and emotions. The MPFC is one of the last sections of the brain to degenerate in Alzheimer's and remains accessible to music's therapeutic effect.

Alzheimer's patients can lose familiarity with their families, but a song can facilitate the return of memory. Long-term patients with Alzheimer's will talk during familiar songs and recognize family members.

"Alzheimer's brings on stress and sadness for patient and family members," Flask said. "Interaction with family members becomes meaningful by playing a variety of designed music."

Flask’s initiation into music's healing effects began with studies in classical piano, oboe, and opera. She volunteered for a high school program for children with special needs, practicing her musical theater songs during supervision.

While sitting on the floor and singing, a non-communicative autistic boy approached her and crawled up on her lap, put his hands on her throat, and began humming with her. She realized that music was much more powerful than she’d thought.

"It plays in space, and makes us react on many levels."

As a business woman, she branched into branding and music and gained success in music design. But she returned home to Kansas to visit her mother who'd suffered an aneurysm.

“She used to play for me when I sang opera, so I sang for her,” said Flask. "She didn’t recognize anyone else but she recognized me and sang with me.”

Flask predicts that Coro Health's concept will gain wider acceptance in the aging community. “The technology of therapeutic music will evolve,” she said. “All that’s needed is a cell phone or a computer or a tablet.”

Creation of meaningfully designed music gives hope to people with Alzheimer's and their families.

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Family and Personal Care

Senior Living

Legacy Gift Launches Ohio Memory Care Pavilion

aadmin — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:14:29 +0000

A $2 million “legacy gift” will help create a new assisted living memory care pavilion for Montefiore, a nursing facility for senior citizens in Beachwood, OH.

The gift comes courtesy of Steve Willensky and his wife, Judy Klein Willensky, members of The Park Synagogue. “I decided Montefiore was a great fit for me as I’m interested in senior aging issues,” Steve Willensky told Cleveland.com. “I felt Montefiore represented the best of what our community offers.”

The Willenskys, of Gates Mills, OH, said they felt attached to Montefiore from both an advisory and emotional standpoint. The new assisted living memory care pavilion has been named The Willensky Residence.

The Willenskys’ legacy gift positions Montefiore as a leader in senior health care and wellness services in Northeast Ohio, setting it apart with a greatly-needed service to continuum of care.

The pavilion includes specialized studio rooms and two suites with private bathroom and shower. Willensky said he and his wife were very much involved in the planning of the memory care pavilion.

The Willensky Residence comes equipped with a living room with bookshelves and a fireplace, a multi-sensory room for stimulation of the five senses, a beauty salon, a barber shop and a fully equipped laundry room. Outside and easily accessible, is a secure courtyard garden with a walking path and seating areas.

The Willensky Residence has set the benchmark for memory care in Assisted Living and Continuing Care across the USA.

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Alzheimer's Care

Senior Living

New study says forgetfulness might point to an early death

aadmin — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:10:50 +0000

A certain degree of memory loss with aging may be inevitable, but when it comes to serious forgetfulness, it may be a sign, not just of potential Alzheimer’s, but even possibly early death.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, seniors who suffer from a significant amount of forgetfulness – but not enough to classify as dementia – are twice as likely to die within the next five years.

The results were published in a study by the Alzheimer’s Association, and presented at the Alzheimer’s Association Annual Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“Cognitive impairment of any kind is serious, and requires increased medical and personal attention,” Ronald Petersen with the Alzheimer’s Association, was quoted in the report as saying.

However, the risk of early death was just among seniors whose forgetfulness was above normal, not seniors whose mental decline caused them to suffer from poor judgment, organizational difficulties and even decreased reasoning abilities.

The Times reported that researchers at the Vancouver conference are hoping to find trends and patterns so they can identify what Alzheimer’s and Dementia may look like in its early stages. If that happens, many seniors may not have to require Alzheimer’s Care communities, and may remain mentally healthy instead.

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Alzheimer's Care

Senior Living

Scammers increasingly targeting Alzheimer's patients

aadmin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:07:54 +0000

Seniors are the favorite target of scammers across North America, and they are often defrauded out of significant amounts of money due to their disposable income and their trustfulness, but a recent news article has highlighted that seniors who suffer from memory loss need to be extra careful about being scammed.

As reported by KEPR of Pasco, Washington, more scam artists are going after seniors with memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s in an attempt to capitalize on their poor memory.

“The potential for fraud and abuse with both diagnosed individuals and their loved ones is extremely high,” Bob Le Roy, President of the Alzheimer's Association for Central and Western Washington, told the news source.

Memory loss expert Dr. Gary Small told the media outlet that seniors (or anyone) with memory problems should have close family members or friends helping them with finances to help prevent being victimized. One option could be to take away the checkbook of the person with memory loss, or even change the password for their internet banking.

It may not be an easy decision, but experts say sometimes dramatic steps are needed to help protect the most vulnerable seniors against ruthless scams and frauds.

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Alzheimer's Care

Senior Living

How to tell the difference between hallucinations and delusions

aadmin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:40:36 +0000

In instances where loved ones become ill, it is essential for caregivers to become their loved ones’ advocates, even more so if they are afflicted with Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia.

If this should happen to you, being their voice may mean you will have to explain what you believe is ailing them to their physician. This becomes especially important during the latter stages of the disease. You will be required to know the difference between symptoms which can appear very similar.

I have discovered two mental conditions which the general public commonly mistake as being the same thing; hallucinations and delusions.

A delusion is a fictional belief about something, someone or even yourself. For instance, a common delusion that occurs within Alzheimer’s patients is the notion that everyone is stealing from them, taking all of their prized possessions. Suspicion and delusions seem to go hand in hand.

Hallucinations, on the other hand, are false perceptions of objects, people or events. They are not only visible to the person experiencing them, but can be heard, smelled and tasted by the patient. They can become very frightening for your loved one and very difficult for the caregiver to handle. I know that while I was caring for my dad, hallucinations were the hardest and most heart wrenching facet I had to deal with.

It always amazed me how something so unreal could last in my father’s mind sometimes for days, and then meanwhile something that truly just happened would be washed away in a matter of minutes.

I will never forget the day when my dad started to get extremely upset around nine o’clock in the morning. “They’re breaking into the building next door! All the tools behind the building are being stolen!” Over and over Dad kept repeating this throughout the entire day. The thing is that the other building wasn’t even visible from the house, but he insisted that he saw at least five guys over there breaking in.

Finally, I walked him over there, across the field, four or five times in hopes that it would settle him down. At last, around 5:00 p.m., I called my sister and begged for her to drop everything she was doing and get over there. Upon her arrival she suggested that I should get away and take a break for a while. I responded that the only thing I wanted to do at that time was to get some sleep.

At this point throughout the campaign I considered myself to be a seasoned caregiver, but honestly, I couldn’t take it even one more minute of the mental madness that day!

If this should happen to your patient and he or she truly believes they are witnessing something, don’t turn it into a debate. Period! You might have to take a walk outside and circle the house. At this point you probably need some fresh air and some good ole dirt kicking. Whatever you do, don’t get into argument. It will only twist things further and you both will likely be headed for hours of extended torture.

Discuss the matter with the physician. There are medications that may help and if these hallucinations are scaring your loved one and building up high levels of anxiety, you too are going to need help as well.

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Alzheimer's Care

Senior Living

Music therapy can help Alzheimer's sufferers

aadmin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:45:21 +0000

The idea of music as a powerful source for healing is certainly not new. It goes back to the writings of Aristotle and Plato who believed that music could heal both body and soul.

This belief is being borne out by modern research. Studies have shown that music therapy can provide a number of physical and psychological benefits including reducing pain, stress, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, depression and sleeplessness.

And now it appears that music therapy — which involves engaging in musical activities with a certified professional — may provide a way to reach people with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to an article in The New York Times, researchers and clinicians have found that when all other means of communication have shut down, people can still remember and respond to music. When listening to familiar songs, for example, people with dementia can relate better to others, move more easily and even experience joy.

One explanation as to why music memory is better preserved than verbal memory is because — unlike language — music is not seated in one specific area of the brain but processed across many parts. “You can’t rub out music unless the brain is completely gone,” Alicia Clair, a music therapist, told The New York Times.

Ms. Clair noted, too, that the way the disease progresses might also play a role. “Things fall off in the opposite order from the way they were acquired. So if someone sang to you as a baby, before you even knew words, you’ll respond to music after words are gone,” she says.

In addition to improved language skills, studies have shown that music therapy can lead to less wondering and disruptive behavior for patients with Alzheimer’s. Not just any music will do the trick, however. To be effective, the music needs to be familiar, which usually means selecting songs that were popular during a person’s teenage or early adult years.

So what is music therapy, exactly? According to the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, it is “the skillful use of music and musical elements by an accredited music therapist to promote, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.”

Music therapists generally design sessions based on a person’s needs and tastes. The therapy could involve simply listening to music or composing songs, playing an instrument or talking about lyrics. People do not need to be musically talented to reap the benefits.

Music therapy became a 20th century discipline in North America after World War I and World War II when community musicians visited Veterans hospitals to play for veterans suffering from physical and emotional trauma.

Reportedly, health care workers noticed such a positive effect on the patients that they requested the musicians be hired by hospitals. The first music therapy degree program in the world was founded at Michigan State University in 1944.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes. While not a normal part of aging, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among people aged 65 and older.

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Alzheimer's Care

Senior Living

Art Therapy Communicates with Elderly

aadmin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:44:35 +0000

Art is an ancient therapy for the creators and the viewers. Art lives on. For dementia sufferers, it provides a much-needed visual-based communication that surpasses language.

The New York City chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association hosts “Mindful Connections” for dementia sufferers at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan. The program is modelled after others in the United States of America.

Nancy Lee Hendley, dementia care trainer told the New York Times: “Art offers them a way of communication that doesn’t rely on their verbal skills and allows them to contribute in a way that they don’t often get to do.”

In the tours, participants are divided into groups based on physical and cognitive abilities. The limited group in wheelchairs or with problems looking up at the art, are guided with hands-on objects, like a piece of fabric or a small statue. David Rosenberg, a guide, told The Times: “Some of them are nonverbal, and they respond more to touch or to one-on-one presentation.”

Participants often share insightful comments from their own perspectives.

Art therapy is for residents in Continuing Care and Alzheimers Care.

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Alzheimer's Care