by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Jun 28, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
When a loved one lives with Alzheimer’s disease, members of their family often worry if there is a genetic link. Watching someone you love suffer with dementia makes that concern inevitable. While the cause of Alzheimer’s disease continues to elude researchers, some clinical trials are shedding light on possible links between health problems and the disease. One medical condition that has interested scientists for some time is a possible link between older adults with anemia and the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Exploring the Relationship between Alzheimer’s Disease and Anemia
A study published in Neurology magazine last year explored the idea that patients who were anemic were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. They hypothesize that because people who are anemic have fewer red blood cells, they have less oxygen reaching their brain. Can that somehow contribute to the plaques and tangles believed to lead to Alzheimer’s? In this trial, 2,552 participants who were dementia-free were evaluated and followed. 392 of them had anemia at the start of the trial. Over the course of the 11 year study, participants who had anemia were 40% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Even though that is a very significant percentage, scientists aren’t ready to say for certain there is a causal relationship. Instead they want to investigate the relationship more and examine what, if any, impact anemia prevention might have on the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Talking with a Senior Loved One’s Physician About Anemia
If you are worried the Michigan senior you love might be at risk for anemia because of a poor diet or another health concern, share your concerns with their physician. They can make that diagnosis. If your hunch is right, their physician can help develop a plan to improve it. The bottom line is that even though these are preliminary studies, it is yet one more reason older adults need to adopt a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients, and to take advantage of community-based senior nutrition programs for support.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | May 18, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
When a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease moves to an assisted living community, one of the toughest things for families to cope with is hearing them say the words, “Please take me home. I want to go home.” Adult children know they have made the right choice for safety reasons, but the guilt those words create can be tough to overcome.
What Someone with Alzheimer’s Means When They Say “I Want to Go Home”
Here is what your loved one might really be saying:
- I don’t recognize anything or anyone around me.
Because Alzheimer’s disease robs people of their memory, it creates confusion. Your loved one may not understand why no one seems familiar and nothing looks like home no matter where they are. They are likely feeling lonely.
- “Home” may not be their most recent house.
When shorter term memories are lost, home may be the place they lived when they were a child or younger adult. They may be remembering happier times when they lived with their parents and siblings.
How to Respond When an Aging Loved One Says “I Want to Go Home”
There are a few suggestions we know other families have found worked with their loved ones:
- Try to determine what they need.
We know this can be difficult to do when their verbal skills are impaired. The problem may be that they are hungry, tired, in pain or need to use the bathroom. Try to ask them yes or no questions to see if you can find out if something is wrong or upsetting to them.
- Try to respond positively.
Arguing with them or telling them the assisted living community is home now probably won’t work. Instead, try acknowledging their request and agreeing to do it “later.” Using a simple phrase like, “I know you miss your garden. Maybe next week when we are at the dentist we can stop there.” It may help placate them for now and they likely won’t remember later.
- Encourage them to talk about it if they are able.
Ask them what they miss and what they liked about home. Getting the conversation going might give you an opportunity to determine what they are missing and see how you can help fix it. It might also provide you with the chance to re-direct the conversation. For example, if they miss their garden or the neighbor’s dog, tell them about a new dog on your street or a problem you are having in your garden.
This issue is one of the most common struggles for families. Almost everyone who moves a loved on to a memory care program encounters it at one time or another. We hope these tips help provide you with a few ideas on how to handle it.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | May 12, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Uncategorized
Storytelling and spending time recalling happy memories is a common part of family bonding. For those with Alzheimer’s disease, it can be a way of helping them reconnect with events and times that are still a part of their memory. Reminiscence therapy (RT) is based on that idea. RT is the process of helping those with Alzheimer’s or dementia recall personal experiences from their past. It works by decreasing demands on the individual’s impaired cognitive abilities by utilizing those that still remain. That means you understand and accept that recent memories are likely gone for good and reminisce about those from more distant days. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.
Getting Started with Reminiscence Therapy
If you are exploring ideas for how to get started using RT with a senior loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease, these tips should help:
- Enlist friends and family to help collect old photos and other family memorabilia. Your goal should be to track down those items from your loved one’s past that will elicit happy memories for them.
- Think about what other physical props might trigger good memories for your loved one. Are there pieces of furniture in their home or yours with an important story behind them? Maybe an old rotary phone or ice cream maker? How about an old piece of jewelry?
- Another way to help your loved one reminisce and reconnect with good times is by using their sense of smell to prompt a response. For example, if their mother baked apple and cherry pies for them as a child, recreating those scents might stimulate a response.
- Music might be another way to help you and your loved one share some memories. Track down CDs of their favorite bands from their youth. You can probably even find videos of them on YouTube.
- Don’t forget about movies they loved back in the day. Scheduling a family movie night featuring the oldies can be a good way for multiple generations to connect and share.
- Finally, consider creating a Talking Family Album or family movie that combines old and new memories. That will make it easier to visit the past together more often.
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Apr 24, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
For Michigan caregivers of an aging parent or loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most frightening behaviors is an unfortunately common one. Wandering is generally believed to be a means of attempting to communicate after language skills are largely gone.
A person living with more advanced Alzheimer’s disease may not recognize their surroundings any longer. They may be trying to find their way “home” where home is a place they lived as a child or young adult. It might be that they are hungry or thirsty or need to use the restroom and don’t know where or how to find help. Whatever the reason, wandering causes stress and concern for caregivers trying to keep them safe.
5 Tips to help Michigan caregivers decrease a loved one’s wandering
What can you do to try to decrease the odds that your aging loved one will wander? Here are a few recommendations to try:
- Keep a clear path for your loved one to safely pace indoors. That means packing up throw rugs and eliminating clutter.
- Store potential “leaving cues” out of plain sight. Items like car keys, coats, mittens, and umbrellas should be kept in a closet or cupboard. It isn’t always as convenient, but it may prevent their mind from being triggered to the fact that an exterior door is nearby.
- Installing an additional lock at the top of all exterior doors might also help. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, a person’s gaze often becomes directed down toward their feet. A lock that is located higher on the door will be out of their line of vision.
- Paint the interior side of exit doors the same color as the walls. That will make them harder to distinguish and less likely to attract attention if your loved one is seeking an exit.
- Another common strategy used in senior living communities is one that is very easy to implement at home. Consider placing STOP or DO NOT ENTER signs on the inside of exterior doors. These universal signs and symbols are recognizable to even those with advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
Prepare Ahead in Case a Senior Loved One Wanders
If the unthinkable happens and your loved one does wander away, having an emergency plan in place can minimize the time it takes to find them. Some preventative measures you can take care in case a crisis happens include:
- Always have a recent photo of them available. A digital photo that can be quickly emailed to media is even better.
- As much as you don’t want to hurt the dignity of your loved one, consider labeling their clothing with tags containing their name and your phone number.
- Don’t hesitate to call 911 as soon as you realize your loved one is missing. Every minute counts in helping them make a safe return home.
- The Alzheimer’s Association offers several GPS tracking programs you can use called, ComfortZone and Comfort Check-In. They use cellular technology to help you monitor your loved one’s location.
Are you caring for a loved one who wanders? Have we missed anything you’ve found to be of help?
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Mar 14, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
If you have children you have likely struggled to find kid-friendly restaurants. For those who are caregivers for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease, dining out may present a similar challenge. The disease often requires families to make special accommodations at mealtimes and to be more flexible when it comes to table manners and behaviors. When you are eating out, however, these changes might look a little unusual to other diners.
Meal Time Challenges with Alzheimer’s Disease
A night without the burden of cooking might be exactly what a caregiver needs. For many busy families, dining out is a part of their regular routine. But when a loved one lives with Alzheimer’s, restaurants can be intimidating places. The person living with the disease may face challenges that include:
- Difficulty using utensils
- Accessibility issues for restrooms and with booth or bench-style tables
- Increased impatience waiting for a table and waiting for food to arrive
- Wait staff unaccustomed communicating with someone who has dementia
- Noisy environments and distractions that increase agitation
Before you give up the idea of a night out, here are a few suggestions to consider that can make the experience easier on everyone:
- Think about visiting local restaurants that are more casual in nature. Those used to serving families with small children might be best. They aren’t usually as concerned when guests are a little messier.
- Menu items that allow diners to eat with their fingers can make it easier for your loved one to blend in. Chicken wings, sandwiches, fries and burgers might be good choices.
- Try to go during off times. If you don’t know what those are, call the restaurant. They can usually tell you what times you are less likely to face a long wait.
- Discretely explain your situation to the hostess or wait staff. They might be able to find a quiet corner for your family that is a little less distracting for someone with dementia.
- Consider taking a deck of cards or other busy work for your loved one to do while you wait for your food.
We hope these tips help you find ways to enjoy a night out with the entire family! If you have suggestions that might help other families, please share them in the comments below.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Feb 24, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Uncategorized
If you are an adult child caring for an aging parent, you may be observing a few behaviors that are setting off alarm bells that something is wrong. It might be forgetfulness, confusion or one of the other symptoms commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These can all be early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia. But they can also be caused by several other reversible illnesses and conditions. Before a physician settles on a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, they will likely perform tests to rule out other potential causes.
6 Health Conditions that Mimic Alzheimer’s Disease
- If your loved one has recently started or discontinued a new medication either one could be the culprit. Some medicines commonly taken by older adults can create confusion. A new medication might also be interacting with an existing prescription or over-the-counter medicine to create an adverse reaction. There are also some medications that can’t be abruptly discontinued without risking harmful side effects. Review your loved one’s medication list with their physician and pharmacist to see if anything on it could be causing the troubling symptoms you are witnessing.
- A common cause of Alzheimer’s-like symptoms is a Vitamin B deficiency. If an older adult doesn’t maintain a healthy diet full of B-12 rich foods like fish, eggs, red meat, enriched cereals, and low-fat dairy products, a B-12 deficiency might be the source of their problems.
- Thyroid disease can also mimic dementia. If the thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism) it can cause memory loss and other dementia-like symptoms. This can be easily diagnosed with a blood test.
- Depression can be another possible cause of forgetfulness, inattentiveness, and lethargy. Pseudodementia occurs when a person’s depressed mood creates symptoms that can be confused with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Dehydration can lead to memory loss, disorientation and confusion. People often believe summer’s warmer weather is the most common cause of dehydration, but our elderly are actually at risk all year long. That is because as we age our body often fails to recognize thirst. Dehydration can also occur when seniors who have mobility problems are unable to get to the kitchen as often as they need to for water.
- If blood sugar is too high or two low or diabetes isn’t controlled, the resulting behavior can look like dementia. It is important for older adults to have blood tests done to detect these conditions and treat them quickly.
While the number of older adults in Michigan and across the U.S. being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s continues to climb, it is important not to jump to the conclusion of Alzheimer’s disease without further testing. The conditions outlined above can typically be reversed or controlled with the proper treatment.
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