Look For Patterns In Dementia Behaviors
Many people with Alzheimers disease have a pattern to their behaviors. Watch for triggers, such as a certain time of day, activity, person or setting. For example, if a senior tends to wander at the same time every day, a planned activity at that hour or just before could distract from wandering or ensure they dont have the energy to pace around afterwards.
Read:How to Minimize Wandering in a Senior With Dementia
Hide Car Keys And House Keys
In addition to wandering on foot, people with Alzheimers might attempt to drive. Getting lost while driving not only endangers the dementia patient but also the public. Be sure to store keys to all vehicles and exterior doors in a secure place. Coats and shoes may trigger a dementia patients desire to go out or resume deeply engrained routines like running errands, picking up kids from school or driving to work. Keeping these items out of sight may help deter them.
Nordictrack T Series Treadmill
As Dr. Fredericks noted, exercise is a great way to keep dementia at bay while providing physical and mental stimulation. While there’s a lot of smart workout equipment on the market, you might want to consider shying away from anything that might be overstimulating, as it could be frustrating and difficult to operate for someone suffering from dementia. This incredibly highly rated treadmill from NordicTrack is one of the easiest treadmills to operate, allowing them options to increase or decrease speed as well as incline, and offering multiple types of workouts with the touch of a button.
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Best Music Player For Elderly
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We all know that listening to music is good for the mind and soul. Moreover, there is research to suggest that music therapy can help seniors and dementia patients.
In this article, we have compiled a list of the best music players for the elderly. These music players have been expressly designed with features that make music listening an easier and more comfortable experience for seniors and people with potential neurological conditions like dementia.
The table below provides a quick snapshot of our selection, and we go into further detailed reviews of individual music players for seniors.
Regular music listening has been found to promote a host of positive neurological and physical changes. As of now, extensive research is being conducted on the therapeutic effects of music on seniors and people with dementia.
Research findings have shown that music therapy can promote memory and slow cognitive decline, reduce schizophrenic symptoms, reduce depressive symptoms, lower anxiety, and help in the management of physical pain.
This video below describes a few more ways in which listening to music can benefit health:
Q How Can Listening To Music And Music Therapy Help The Elderly
Recent research in the US and Japan shows that hearing music activates areas of the brain that are connected with memory, logical thinking, speech, reward, and emotions. It has also shown that not only does music help us recall our memories better, but it also helps in consolidation of new memories.
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Igeurburn Upgraded Simple Music Mp3 Player
Music is considered a great healer, and for seniors, it is a great way to feel soothed and relaxed. The iGeurburn Simple Music MP3 Player is uniquely designed for this purpose. It is an excellent MP3 player for people suffering from dementia with its simple, intuitive controls.
This player is easy to operate as it features a big ON/OFF button. It is also built with a power port, headphone port, and USB port connection. Apart from that, there is only one other large button being the volume control knob which allows you to change the volume to suit your listening.
It features a standard headphone jack, and has a capacity to load nearly 3000 songs or audiobooks of your choice.
The design of this player resembles that of a classic tabletop radio, and comes in more modern and visible orange and light blue colors.
Pros
- Excellent clarity in sound.
- Large capacity carries 16GB of songs .
- USB plug and play device, so that you dont have to muck around with wires.
- Durable and resilient construction.
- This system can be carried anywhere with ease easily portable.
- Tabletop old radio aesthetic, in attractive colors with nice contrast so that the player is clearly visible to weaker eyes.
Cons
- It is not Bluetooth compatible.
- There is no shuffle feature in it.
Smartphone Apps For Alzheimers And Dementia
Technology can be overwhelming to someone with dementia, but the large, tactile surfaces of tablets and bigger smartphones have made it easier for people with dementia, particularly in earlier stages, to communicate or pass the time.
For Entertainment / Brain TrainingMindmate has daily activities and games designed to improve brain health, and can be customized for your loved one depending on the level of thinking impairment. The app has mental exercises and even physical exercises, and tracks progress. It includes nutrition advice and clips of classic movies, music, and TV from decades past.
My Reef 3D Aquarium comes highly recommended for people with dementia. The app lets you customize a tank of fish swimming around on the screen, which can soothe someone with Alzheimers. The fish react to touching the screen, as though theyre in a real tank.
Lets Create! Pottery provides an activity that simultaneously calms and encourages creativity. Simply touch the spinning clay to smooth its sides into a unique vase or pot, and save favorites into a collection.
For Safety / Caregiving Its Done! isnt for reminders, but rather lets you confirm that important tasks have been finished already. Dont remember if the stoves been shut off or you took your medication? Check the app for a check mark. It can also email loved ones to confirm things have been finished.
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An Overview On Alarm Clocks
Waking up is never easy, especially if you dont get to do it on your own. Alarm clocks have been used for more than a century for pulling people out of a deep slumber, evolving in sophistication along the way. Many people today use a smartphone to wake up, but there are still benefits to an alarm clock. It frees you from the burden of having your smartphone next to you as you sleep, for one, while also giving you a wider range of options as to how youll be awoken.
If its been a while since youve gone alarm clock shopping, you may be surprised to hear about the many options now available. You can still get the standard digital alarm clock that lets you choose between disruptive beeps and other noises versus waking up to a local radio station. But there are also alarm clocks that sync to your phone, letting you wake up to music from your playlist.
Theres another option that you may have missed along the way. One alarm clock actually model uses light therapy techniques to wake you up gently and naturally. It simulates the natural light from the sunrise, working with your bodys circadian rhythms to gently nudge you awake. Even some digital clocks use changing colors as a wake-up technique to combine this new approach with traditional alarm clock design.
The Living Room/family Room
- Increase lighting as needed for safety. Place lamps where safe, and use wall mounted lighting where possible.
- Make sure seating is comfortable and at appropriate height for ease when sitting and standing.
- Place the TV remote in visible reach, keeping them in the same place.
- Place memorabilia that trigger positive memories such as photos of family, events, holidays.
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Tips For Choosing The Right Activities For Dementia Patients
Tips For Everyday Care For People With Dementia
Early on in Alzheimers and related dementias, people experience changes in thinking, remembering, and reasoning in a way that affects daily life and activities. Eventually, people with these diseases will need more help with simple, everyday tasks. This may include bathing, grooming, and dressing. It may be upsetting to the person to need help with such personal activities. Here are a few tips to consider early on and as the disease progresses:
- Try to keep a routine, such as bathing, dressing, and eating at the same time each day.
- Help the person write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.
- Plan activities that the person enjoys and try to do them at the same time each day.
- Consider a system or reminders for helping those who must take medications regularly.
- When dressing or bathing, allow the person to do as much as possible.
- Buy loose-fitting, comfortable, easy-to-use clothing, such as clothes with elastic waistbands, fabric fasteners, or large zipper pulls instead of shoelaces, buttons, or buckles.
- Use a sturdy shower chair to support a person who is unsteady and to prevent falls. You can buy shower chairs at drug stores and medical supply stores.
- Be gentle and respectful. Tell the person what you are going to do, step by step while you help them bathe or get dressed.
- Serve meals in a consistent, familiar place and give the person enough time to eat.
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These Days Lots Of People Feel Out Of Control And For Good Reason When We Feel Out Of Control The Anxiety Levels Go Up And So Its Really Important To Focus On What We Can Do Rather Than What We Cant Do Dr Steven Sabat Neuropsychologist And Professor Emeritus Of Psychology At Georgetown University In A Recent Being Patient Braintalk About Caregiving During Covid
Caring for family members with dementia can be overwhelming. Caregivers often juggle keeping track of their loved ones daily activities, medications, and doctors appointments and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as routines have been upended, staying organized has become all the more challenging.
To help families keep organized, our editors selected a few of our favorite products to keep track of time and create structure.
Practical Gifts That Make Life Easier And More Pleasant
1) Specialized clothing for Alzheimers and dementiaThese practical, stylish, and comfortable outfits are specially designed for people with dementia.
Prevent spontaneous undressing with stylish back-zip jumpsuits .
Make dressing easier with soft fabrics and easy-to-use Velcro, snap, and zip closures
- Browse Buck & Buck adaptive clothing for women and men
- Browse Silverts adaptive clothing for women and men
2) $20 Jumbo Large Print 2022 Wall CalendarBeing able to keep track of time and date decreases confusion and helps seniors stay oriented and engaged with the world.
This jumbo calendar is easy to see and understand and has plenty of space for making notes about appointments or special events.
3) $45 Deluxe 5-piece Redware Dining SetIn Alzheimers patients, red colored dining ware is found to increase food intake by 24% and liquid intake by 84%.
This set includes a cup, inner lip plate, partitioned plate with lid, and adaptive grip fork and spoon.
4) $60 American Lifetime Extra Large Digital Day ClockBeing able to keep track of time and date decreases confusion and helps seniors stay oriented and engaged with the world.
This digital clock has an 8-inch large-font screen display, 5 alarms, and clearly spells out the time, period of the day, full day of the week, month and date.
We also found this same style of clock with a white color frame and a second option in a white color frame.
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General Tips For Any Room In The House
- Keep window coverings open throughout the day to allow natural light in, and close them only as needed to complete daily routines. Keep windows clean. Close drapes at night to avoid reflections on the window and to indicate it is nighttime.
- Tape down area rugs, or remove altogether. Remove all tripping hazards and clutter. Remove any cables or wires that are running across the floor.
- Keep a list of phone numbers with the telephone. If necessary, add photos to the numbers so that they are recognizable.
- If looking into mirrors becomes a problem for the one with dementia, cover or remove them.
- Keep upholstery and floor patterns simple, and with minimal pattern. Avoid clashing colors. On floors, avoid wavy lines, stripes, or changes of color between rooms.
- Replace socket and switch plates with ones that are a contrasting color to the wall.
- Use a small bulletin board for your loved ones daily routine and to do list. Direct your loved one to it everyday.
- Have a designated area to drop the keys, glasses, mail, etc.
- Label the contents of drawers and cupboards using colorful photo images, cards or post-it notes. Do the same with doors, placing signs eye level for the one with dementia.
- Leave internal doors to the most commonly used rooms open.
- Keep household water temperature at or below 120 degrees.
- Keep household cleaners in a locked cabinet.
Finding Care And Support: Tips For People Living With Dementia
Many people may be able to help in different ways. These people might include family members, friends, professional caregivers, community organizations, and others with dementia. For example, you can:
- Ask friends or family to help with needs like cooking, paying bills, transportation, or shopping.
- If you live alone, find people you trust who can visit often.
- Consider letting trusted neighbors know of your diagnosis so they can help if needed.
- Use social service agencies, local nonprofits, and Area Agencies on Aging to connect with in-home help, transportation, meals, and other services.
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Games Puzzles And Around The Home Activities For Dementia Patients
How Does Dementia Affect People
Over 150,000 people in the UK are living with some form of Dementia, with numbers rising dramatically as the population ages. Symptoms can develop gradually or relatively quickly depending on the person, including having difficulty with planning or organising tasks, problems following multiple steps and even becoming ‘lost’ or confused easily. Psychological effects differ between individuals, however as I’m sure we can all appreciate, not understanding the environment you are in or recognising the people you are with can be distressing and at times upsetting.
Perhaps overlooked in the consequences of many health problems like Dementia, are the effects on family, friends, carers and those around them. A subject that’s close to my heart , is the ways in which we deal with Dementia’s repercussions. Seeing how upset my mother was when my grandmother did not recognise her was of course unpleasant, however there are ways in which we can better cope personally, whilst supporting those with symptoms as much as possible.
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