Resources For Caregivers Of Alzheimer’s Patients

Do You Need Help With Planning

The Importance of Planning Ahead resource and information sheet to and print.

Benefits and Long-Term Care

Options counselors at our New Mexico ADRC can provide information and planning assistance as you consider your future needs for yourself and your loved one. Call us at

Alzheimers Association Caregiver Center provides information for long-term care planning

Remembering Care For The Caregiver

The month of November is dedicated to Alzheimer awareness. Alzheimer disease isnt easy for anyone affected – patient, caregiver or family. Often, as nurses, our primary focus is on the individual with AD, but its also incredibly important to remember what caregivers go through during the journey.

Nurse teams can begin by imagining themselves in the place of a caregiver. Imagine watching your once sharp, witty, independent, and outgoing parent now declining before your eyes. Hearing the words that your loved one is diagnosed with AD is one of the hardest truths to face. Suddenly, you are placed in a caregiver role – faced with making many important decisions while feeling overwhelmed and worried for the future.

Research indicates that patients with AD will experience more hospitalizations than others their age. This, coupled with the increasing prevalence of the disease means that at one point or another, we may all cross paths with families and individuals living with ADnot only in the health care setting but in our own personal lives. This month brings an opportunity for nurse leaders and educators to remind staff about the importance of caregiver wellbeing.

Legal And Financial Assistance

National Center on Elder Abuse. Serves as a national resource center dedicated to the prevention of elder mistreatment, addressing topics such as assisted living and financial exploitation. 1-855-500-3537

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Provides free resources to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis. Topics include advanced directives, and hospice and palliative care, among others. www.caringinfo.org1-800-658-8898Multilingual helpline: 1-877-658-8896

National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center. Click Locate an Ombudsman to find a professional to serve as an advocate as you deal with decisions concerning long-term care for your loved one. www.ltcombudsman.org202-332-2275

Transportation Safety Administration Cares. Assists travelers with medical conditions, such as Alzheimers disease, as they prepare for travel prior to getting to the airport. Provides answers to questions about screening policies, procedures, and what to expect at the security checkpoint.www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures 1-855-787-2227

Veterans Benefit Programs. Those who served in the armed services may qualify for certain Veterans Administration program benefits.To find out what services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or Veterans programs, visit

Veterans Benefits at 1-800-827-1000

Read Also: Ct Scan Alzheimer’s Vs Normal

Administration Breaking Immigration Laws

Looking at the administrations polices I am wondering why some of these government officials are not going to jail or prison.

They are violating our immigration laws, cutting down our oil supply to a dribble and telling Americans to cut back on electricity, gasoline, water and even

begging countries around the world to sell us their dirty oil.

Many of these countries that produce oil such as Saudi Arabia and others

are apparently turning their backs on us. How damaging is this?

Now our current government is currently hiring 8,700 or more IRS agents

to make sure we Americans are not tax criminals.

The great need for hundreds of more border patrol agents to protect our country is far more important because those sneaking across our border will not be paying any taxes. Instead, our open border policy will likely bring in many diseases that we have

conquered, criminals, killer gangs and deadly drugs.

America has now become a country over run with thousands of illegal people breaking America’s border laws. Our country currently does not have enough food, water, electricity gasoline, housing, medical facilities or schools necessary to take care of our own growing population.

Betty K. Thomas, Stockton

Cleveland Clinic Healthy Brains

The Cleveland Clinics Healthy Brains initiative offers individualized brain health assessment tools, lifestyle tips, news on the latest developments in research and medicine, and more. This interactive resource is useful for both caregivers and those who are living with Alzheimers disease or another form of dementia, offering both tips for reducing the risk of developing dementia as well as helpful resources for caregivers, such as information on the healing power of pets, the latest clinical trials, and more.

Read Also: How To Slow Down Alzheimer’s

The National Alliance For Caregiving Brain Health Conversation Guide

The National Alliance for Caregiving offers support and resources for all caregivers, but dementia caregivers will find the Brain Health Conversation Guide, developed in collaboration with the Alzheimers Foundation of America, particularly helpful for navigating those difficult discussions about memory changes and cognitive health. Other guidebooks, including a Spanish version of the Brain Health Conversation Guide, can be found here.

Alzheimers Foundation Of America Caregiving Resources

The Alzheimers Foundation of America provides numerous helpful resources for Alzheimers caregivers, including a free helpline, dozens of fact sheets, free community classes, webinars, and more. The AFA also offers a National Memory Screening Program, which provides free, confidential memory screenings throughout the United States on an ongoing basis. The program has screened more than 5 million people across the country to date.

Don’t Miss: How To Give Pills To Dementia Patients

How To Build Your Alzheimers And Dementia Care Team

When it comes to a disease as complicated and life-changing as dementia or Alzheimers, sometimes we think of the caregiver as one person, but the reality is its often a whole group of people, says Dr. Jennifer Reckrey, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. One person isnt going to be able to do it all, so I encourage really creating a community of caregivers to help. So, in addition to family and friends, who are the people you consider getting in your corner?

Caregiving For People With Alzheimers Disease

Recent data from the CDCs Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System showed that those caring for a person with Alzheimers disease or related dementias have been caregivers considerably longer than caregivers of those with other health conditions. Depending on their health status, persons with Alzheimers disease or related dementias can live for a very long timeup to 20 years following the diagnosis.

Caring for people with Alzheimers can be challenging.

Don’t Miss: How To Get A Dementia Patient To Wear Depends

Financial And Legal Planners

With a dementia diagnosis, its a given your loved ones needs will change over time, so Reckrey recommends being proactive when it comes to financial planning and legal planning. Finding experts and getting plans in place as early as possible not only gives you a greater opportunity to get input from your loved one, but it also helps prevent crises down the road.

Native American Outreach Program

The Native American Outreach program works together with Banner Alzheimers Institute to offer several education and outreach activities in an effort to foster awareness, care and scientific understanding of Alzheimers disease in Arizona tribal and urban Indian communities. The program also offers several community and caregiver services for tribal communities.

Recommended Reading: What Are The 9 Common Drugs Linked To Alzheimer’s

Counseling From A Mental Health Or Social Work Professional

Mental health or social work professionals help you understand your feelings, such as anger, sadness, or feeling out of control and overwhelmed, and help you deal with any stress you may be feeling. They also help develop plans for unexpected or sudden events.

What to know about costs:

• Professional mental health counselors charge by the hour. There may be big differences in the rates you would be charged from one counselor to another.
• Some insurance companies will cover some of these costs.
• Medicare or Medicaid may cover some of these costs.
• You must pay all costs not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance.

How to find them:

• It’s a good idea to ask your health insurance staff which counselors and services, if any, your insurance plan covers. Then check with your doctor, local family service agencies, and community mental health agencies for referrals to counselors.

Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease Caregivers

Providing care for a patient or a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia can be especially challenging, as these diseases affect memory, behavior, judgement, thinking, and the ability to take care of yourself. You’ll need to learn about AD and other dementias so that you’ll know how best to provide care throughout each stage of the disease, adapt how you provide care and support as the disease progresses, and learn when to reach out for advanced help when needed.

The stresses of caregiving can be overwhelming at times, but you are not alone in your caregiving journey. There are many local and national resources available to you that provide education, support, reassurance, and advice.

Also Check: Can Tinnitus Lead To Alzheimer’s

Caring For Someone With Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimerâs disease is called a family disease, because the chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone. An effective treatment will address the needs of the entire family. Caregivers must focus on their own needs, take time for their own health, and get support and respite from caregiving regularly to be able to sustain their well-being during this caregiving journey. Emotional and practical support, counseling, resource information, and educational programs about Alzheimerâs disease all help a caregiver provide the best possible care for a loved one.

Absolutely the easiest thing for someone to say and the hardest thing to accept is the advice to take care of yourself as a caregiver. As stated by one caregiver, âThe care you give to yourself is the care you give to your loved one.â It is often hard to see beyond the care tasks that await you each morning.

Through training, caregivers can learn how to manage challenging behaviors, improve communication skills, and keep the person with Alzheimerâs safe. Research shows that caregivers experience lower stress and better health when they learn skills through caregiver training and participate in a support group . Participation in these groups can allow caregivers to care for their loved one at home longer.

Now it is time to take action, and take stock of the people, services, and information that will help you provide care. The earlier you get support, the better.

Effect Of Music Therapy On Caregivers Burden

The effects of music therapy on caregivers burden have received less attention than the effects on Alzheimers symptomatology. In our study, only four out of sixteen articles took the issue into consideration, which can be explained by the fact that the effects of music therapy on the symptoms manifested by the patients aroused more interest among the researchers than the effects related to caregivers burden. Considering that caregivers are an essential pillar of support in the process of Alzheimers disease, it would be necessary to develop research in order to expand the existing literature in this field.

An experimental study carried out in France designed with no control group compared two groups relating the efficacy of two non-pharmacological treatments in patients with Alzheimers and their caregivers in a nursing home. In one group, patients received music therapy, whereas in the other group they organized culinary activities in which the caregivers participated. Both therapies were implemented in weekly sessions of 2 h for a month. The results showed how both therapies led to a reduction in caregivers burden and increased positive emotions.

The results of a more recent experimental study in a residence in the United States reaffirmed these findings. Their designed included an individualized music therapy program for patients that involved caregivers. After the intervention, they observed a decrease in caregivers burden, thus increasing their quality of life.

Don’t Miss: Psp Frontal Lobe Dementia Symptoms

Planning For The Future

Travel

• Travel Well with Dementia– Traveling to new places and staying connected to family and friends is a primary goal for most people. When a person is diagnosed with Alzheimers disease/related dementia, many think that travel is no longer possible. Yet travel is often desired by both the affected person and family whether joining in celebrations, reunions or a last chance to take a trip of a lifetime. And, travel is possible for most especially in the earlier stages of the condition. To learn more about how to support travel for persons with dementia, consider this new book, Travel Well with Dementia Essential tips to enjoy the journey by Jan Dougherty, RN.

Safety

Resources For Patients And Caregivers

There are several informative documentary series and written literature that can help you to better understand dementia: what it is, what it looks like, and what scientists are doing about it. There are also novels written about individuals with dementia, and how it affected not only the main characters life, but also the lives of those closest to them. Below are some highly recommended videos and readings to help you through this process as well as community resources and links to useful organizations.

You May Like: Safety Locks For Dementia Patients

Alzheimer’s Disease: Resources For Patients And Families

If you or a family member has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, it can seem overwhelming. The first step is to learn more about the condition so you can be prepared. Here, youll find resources to help, including:

• A newsletter you can sign up for
• Actions you can take in the early stages
• Support groups and a workshop
• Information about brain health and Alzheimers research
• Reliable websites with practical tips and information

If you or someone you know is in the early stages of Alzheimers disease or other dementia, you can steps now. The following can help you enjoy life and prepare for changes ahead.

Stay healthy: Keep healthy habits. A nutritious diet and exercise can maintain your physical health. Seeing providers regularly for medical, dental and vision care is also important for overall wellness.

Be social: Spend time with your family and friends doing activities you enjoy. Research shows that staying socially connected can delay memory loss.

Talk about dementia: Share your diagnosis with those close to you. Be honest about your feelings and the support you need.

Prepare for change: Expect Alzheimers disease to cause changes in your life over time. It can be frustrating to struggle with tasks that used to be easy.Give yourself time to do things, and get help from others when things become difficult.

Make Time For Reflection

At each new stage of dementia, you have to alter your expectations about what your loved one is capable of. By accepting each new reality and taking time to reflect on these changes, you can better cope with the emotional loss and find greater satisfaction in your caregiving role.

Keep a daily journal to record and reflect on your experiences. By writing down your thoughts, you can mourn losses, celebrate successes, and challenge negative thought patterns that impact your mood and outlook.

Count your blessings. It may sound counterintuitive in the midst of such challenges, but keeping a daily gratitude list can help chase away the blues. It can also help you focus on what your loved one is still capable of, rather than the abilities theyve lost.

Value what is possible. In the middle stages of dementia, your loved one still has many abilities. Structure activities to invite their participation on whatever level is possible. By valuing what your loved one is able to give, you can find pleasure and satisfaction on even the toughest days.

Improve your emotional awareness. Remaining engaged, focused, and calm in the midst of such tremendous responsibility can challenge even the most capable caregivers. By developing your emotional awareness skills, however, you can relieve stress, experience positive emotions, and bring new peace and clarity to your caretaking role.

Recommended Reading: Alzheimer’s Support Group Charlotte Nc

Caring For The Caregiver Of Alzheimers Disease

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – According to the Alzheimers Association, more than six million Americans are living with Alzheimers, a brain disease that affects memory, thinking, and behavior.

The association states in Mississippi the disease is a growing public health crisis with 57,000 people 65 and older living with it.

Four years ago, husband and wife, Stanley and Jamie Jones told us they were fighting his Alzheimers diagnosis together.

Im very grateful for my wonderful partner here because she keeps me up, Stanley said.

In 2018, Stanley was in a clinical trial at Hattiesburg Clinics Memory Center. Jaime said they both were doing all they could to fight for more time.

I dont always know if I am doing the right thing. I second guess myself a lot, but were just doing the best that we can, Jamie said.

Now, four years later, the fight is over. Jamie said four months ago Stanley passed away from the disease.

Sometimes I look back and during the process, it seemed like it was long, but now that I look back it was really short and I really miss him, Jamie said.

That process was eight years of holding on to good times but watching him forget and become fearful. All the while, Jaime said as his caregiver she was on a roller coaster that never ended.

Jamie said through the sadness she found help in Disentangle AD, a non-profit supporting Alzheimers care and the caregivers. Hattiesburg Neurologist, Dr. Ronald Schwartz founded Disentangle AD.

Most Read

Tips For Home Safety For People With Dementia

As a caregiver or family member to a person with Alzheimers or related dementias, you can take steps to make the home a safer place. Removing hazards and adding safety features around the home can help give the person more freedom to move around independently and safely. Try these tips:

• If you have stairs, make sure there is at least one handrail. Put carpet or safety grip strips on stairs, or mark the edges of steps with brightly colored tape so they are more visible.
• Insert safety plugs into unused electrical outlets and consider safety latches on cabinet doors.
• Clear away unused items and remove small rugs, electrical cords, and other items the person may trip over.
• Make sure all rooms and outdoor areas the person visits have good lighting.
• Remove curtains and rugs with busy patterns that may confuse the person.
• Remove or lock up cleaning and household products, such as paint thinner and matches.

You May Like: Does Taking Benadryl Cause Dementia