Things To Help Alzheimer’s Patients

By Alan B

September 8, 2022

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Who Has Alzheimers Disease

Caregiver Training: Refusal to Bathe | UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care

In 2020, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimers disease.1
Younger people may get Alzheimers disease, but it is less common.
The number of people living with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.
This number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060.1
Symptoms of the disease can first appear after age 60, and the risk increases with age.

Caregiving In The Late Stages Of Alzheimers Or Dementia

As Alzheimers or another dementia reaches the late stages, your loved one will likely require 24-hour care. They may be unable to walk or handle any personal care, have difficulty eating, be vulnerable to infections, and no longer able to express their needs. Problems with incontinence, mood, hallucinations, and delirium are also very common.

In your role as caregiver, youll likely be combining these new challenges with managing painful feelings of grief and loss and making difficult end-of-life decisions. You may even be experiencing relief that your loved ones long struggle is drawing to an end, or guilt that youve somehow failed as a caregiver. As at the other stages of your caregiving journey, its important to give yourself time to adjust, grieve your losses, and gain acceptance.

Since the caregiving demands are so extensive in the later stages, it may no longer be possible for you to provide the necessary care for your loved one alone. If the patient needs total support for routine activities such as bathing, dressing, or turning, you may not be strong enough to handle them on your own. Or you may feel that youre unable to ease their pain or make them as comfortable youd like. In such cases, you may want to consider moving them to a care facility such as a nursing home, where they can receive high levels of both custodial and medical care.

Connecting in the late stages of care

Outdoor Activities For Dementia Patients

Visit a therapeutic garden. These provide walking paths, bird feeders accessible to those in wheelchairs, and sturdy furniture for older adults. Gardens provide a safe environment to reconnect with nature, get a little exercise and absorb some vitamin D. – Activities for People with Alzheimer’s Disease, AARP Twitter: @AARP

Start a simple garden. Gardening provides a little physical activity. It allows seniors with dementia to grow and eat their fruits and vegetables. Used raised beds, so seniors dont have to bend over. The beds should be narrow to prevent too much reaching, the pathway should be broad and clear of any debris. Make sure there are some benches and chairs available to sit and relax. – Outdoor Activities for Seniors with Dementia 7 Fun Ideas, Applewood Our House Twitter: @ApplewoodHome

Visit a fruit farm. If you live in an area with lots of local agriculture, you might be able to take advantage of pick-your-own fruit farms. Picking your own fruit whether those fruits are apples, strawberries, raspberries, or another variety offers the benefits of exercise, the outdoor, and stocking up on healthy foods. – Outdoor Activities for Seniors & Caregivers, Visiting Angels Twitter: @_VisitingAngels

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Activities And Games For Patients With Alzheimers Disease

As a caregiver of someone with Alzheimers, you can use games and activities to help stimulate their mind and senses.

Alzheimers disease is often known as the long goodbye not only because of its ability to affect someones cognitive and functional abilities, but also their emotions and moods, behaviour, and physical abilities, leaving behind a shell of a once-vital person that family and friends barely recognize. This can be tough to witness, but there are some ways you can continue to engage with the person in your care and spend quality time together.

Alzheimers disease affects everyone differently, so its often difficult to predict how it will progress, the symptoms , and the duration of each stage .

Since there is no cure, people with Alzheimers, and their caregivers, rely on treatment plans prescribed by the doctor, plus lifestyle changes to slow the progression of the disease.

Caring for someone with Alzheimers can be as rewarding as it can be emotionally and physically challenging.

Its difficult to watch someone you know struggling to perform everyday tasks and your natural reaction may be to just take over. However, research shows that people in the early stages of Alzheimers can still acquire and process new information, helping them to learn or improve their performance on cognitive tasks, so its important to let them try the task themselves, as long as its safe for them to do so.

DementiAbility method activities

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Memory Games With Cards Or Blocks

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Many memory games require the user to find matching cards or blocks, which can be challenging for those with severe dementia. Still, patients with dementia can benefit significantly from such games early on. Simple ones like wooden jigsaws are fun and engaging while working on cognitive skills like problem-solving.

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Playing Or Listening To Music

Music is a great way to connect with someone who has dementia. It can evoke memories and feelings and provide a sense of comfort. Many studies support the use of music as therapy for those with dementia.

There are two main ways to use music in this situation: playing or listening. If youre playing music, try to find popular songs during your loved ones formative years. If theyre older, you can play music from their era or even current tunes that remind them of things like the first time they heard a favorite song on the radio. Try putting a small instrument in their hands, maybe one they have played.

You can also play music via the radio, a smartphone, or a CD player. Spotify and Youtube have endless amounts of music from all genres and time periods available for free. Music can be one of the most beneficial and effective forms of therapy for dementia patients, plus its just fun to enjoy something together.

What’s The Bottom Line On Alzheimer’s Prevention

Alzheimer’s disease is complex, and the best strategy to prevent or delay it may turn out to be a combination of measures. In the meantime, you can do many things that may keep your brain healthy and your body fit.

You also can help scientists learn more by volunteering to participate in research. Clinical trials and studies are looking for all kinds of peoplehealthy volunteers, cognitively normal participants with a family history of Alzheimer’s, people with MCI, and people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.

To find study sites near you, contact NIA’s Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral Center at 1-800-438-4380 or . Or, visit the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder to search for trials and studies.

Caring For A Dementia Patient At Home

How to Talk to Patients With Alzheimers or Dementia

The challenges families deal with when they care for a dementia patient are at times frustrating, confusing and heartbreaking. You may ask yourself how can we make this easier? What do I need to do at home to keep my loved one calm and safe? A clinical nurse educator and dietician with Chapters Health System and explain 10 important tips for family.

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Dont Neglect Your Own Needs

By always focusing so diligently on your loved ones needs throughout the progression of their dementia, its easy to fall into the trap of neglecting your own welfare. If youre not getting the physical and emotional support you need, you wont be able to provide the best level of care, and youre more likely to become overwhelmed and suffer burnout.

Plan for your own care. Visit your doctor for regular checkups and pay attention to the signs and symptoms of excessive stress. Its easy to abandon the people and activities you love when youre mired in caregiving, but you risk your health and peace of mind by doing so. Take time away from caregiving to maintain friendships, social contacts, and professional networks, and pursue the hobbies and interests that bring you joy.

Talk to someone. Talk to a trusted friend, family member, clergy member, or therapist, about what youre going through. The simple act of talking face-to-face with someone who cares can be extremely catharticand a great stress reliever.

Stay active. Regular exercise not only keeps you fit, it releases endorphins that can really boost your mood. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days. If you cant get away for that long at once, break the time up into 10-minute sessions throughout the day.

Let Our Care Assessment Guide You

Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.

Think back or ask relatives and friends about your loved ones passions and strengths. Then, encourage them to do similar things.

Try knitting or crochetPut a homemade quilt or skein of yarn in your aging relatives hands. Let them feel the weight of the quilt and the scratchiness of the yarn. They may still be able to crochet or knit a little bit, even if they have serious memory or cognitive deficits.

Experiment with soundsIf your relative with dementia was a musician or loved music, introduce simple instruments or sing-alongs. For seniors with mild cognitive decline, musical ability might outlast other memory functions. For those with more advanced impairment, nursery rhymes, maracas, and tambourines can still encourage creative expression.

Encourage visual expressionPainting and drawing are ways to express feelings safely and with creativity. Encourage using bold, bright colors on big surfaces. Rolls of butcher paper enable seniors with dementia to create without encountering the stress of defined spaces.

Create sensory experiences with tactile craftsWorking with slippery clay or malleable play-dough is a way for seniors with cognitive decline to benefit from tactile stimulation and creativity. Gewirtz suggests feeling a variety of objects with different shapes, sizes, and textures, as well as rubbing hands in lotion.

Treat Your Caregiving Like A New Job

Some caretakers find that caring for a loved one with dementia is like a full-time job. A lot of time, attention and life changes can be needed to ensure the loved ones safety.

As with any job, plan by finding opportunities for short breaks. Talk with family members to see if they might be able to care for your loved one for the night. If that doesnt work, try researching other methods to avoid burnout.

Reminiscing Activities For Dementia Patients At Home

Reminiscence therapy uses sensory or visual cues from the past to help seniors reconnect with positive memories. Instead of asking direct questions that could be confusing or stressful, try gentle guidance. For example, if youre looking at childhood photos, ask generally about growing up rather than where an image was taken.

Look through photo albums. Photo albums with pictures from your loved ones childhood or young adulthood can bring back favorite memories. You can also scan or take digital pictures of old photos to create books.

Watch old movies and TV showsDid your aging parent grow up watching westerns like Gunsmoke or My Darling Clementine? Did they prefer musicals like The King and I or Singing in the Rain? You can find old favorites at your local library or streaming online. Add some movie snacks for a fun family activity!

Listen to music and singMusic can awaken the brain, and with it, the rich trove of memories that are associated with familiar songs, according to the nonprofit group Music and Memory. Stream classics or sing memorable songs like holiday carols. Sing-alongs and music classes were more common in mid-century schools you might be surprised at how many songs your loved one remembers from childhood.

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Learn About Burnout In Alzheimers Caregivers

Dementia care is incredibly demanding and emotionally challenging. Deciding to care for a loved one with Alzheimers at home is a huge decision that affects all aspects of a family caregivers life. Taking steps to prioritize self-care is crucial for your well-being and that of your care recipient.

We Believe In Cultivating A Culture Of Brain Health

Together with our partners, UsAgainstAlzheimers is working to transform the broader landscape for brain health. We are advancing a comprehensive strategy to ensure brain health is included as an integral element of overall good health and cognitive decline is identified and addressed early.

Download the full prospectus here.

Our goal is to improve health outcomes for people living with or at risk of Alzheimers and other dementias. To accomplish this, we have embarked on a Brain Health Partnership, with others, to make a check-up from the neck up a routine aspect of clinical care, to encourage people to make lifestyle choices that reduce their risk, to accelerate the widespread availability of treatments and medicines, and to reduce health care costs.

Learn more about the Brain Health Partnership.

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Can I Care For My Loved One At Home Through All Stages Of Dementia

Home care is often recommended by experts through end of life. However, every family and situation is different, so permanent home care may not always be possible.

Research shows keeping a loved one with dementia at home helps them be happier and live longer however, it is most impactful when introduced early. Its a preventive model to educate the family to be dementia smart and understand the disease progression and triggers down the road, Havrilla explains. But if the family is not able to give their loved one the care they need, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes and assisted living residences are good alternatives.

Support For Family And Friends

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Currently, many people living with Alzheimers disease are cared for at home by family members. Caregiving can have positive aspects for the caregiver as well as the person being cared for. It may bring personal fulfillment to the caregiver, such as satisfaction from helping a family member or friend, and lead to the development of new skills and improved family relationships.

Although most people willingly provide care to their loved ones and friends, caring for a person with Alzheimers disease at home can be a difficult task and may become overwhelming at times. Each day brings new challenges as the caregiver copes with changing levels of ability and new patterns of behavior. As the disease gets worse, people living with Alzheimers disease often need more intensive care.

You can find more information about caring for yourself and access a helpful care planning form.

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Games Puzzles And Around The Home Activities For Dementia Patients

Listen to music. A universally soothing activity, listening to music from their past will help them remember the good times associated with the music. Not sure how music ties into memory? Just think do you remember how you learned the alphabet? – 15 Best Activities for Alzheimers Patients at Home, By Your Side Home Care Twitter: @ByYourSideHmCre

Sort and match up nuts and bolts, or tighten screws. Was your loved one the fixer, the handyman, or the go-to guy? Maybe hed like to sort through and match up nuts and bolts, or tighten screws into pieces of wood. Perhaps hed like to connect smaller PVC pipes together. There are also activity boards with lots of to do things attached that you can purchase. – Esther Heerema, MSW, Creative Activities Ideas for People with Dementia, Verywell Health Twitter: @Verywell

Create a memory bag. Fill the bag with items reminiscent of their late teens/early twenties. Scented products work well for this, as scents are strongly tied to memory. Try including soap, perfumes and aftershave, or holiday scents like gingerbread, pine and peppermint. – Activities for Dementia Patients, A Place for Mom Twitter: @APlaceforMom

Help with clean-up around the home. Instead of automatically tidying up the home, encourage dementia patients to assist with the clean-up. Doing so may increase their sense of purpose. – 10 Activities for People Living with Dementia or Alzheimers Disease, Compassionate Care

Recognize When Alzheimers Patients Need A Higher Level Of Care

In later stages of the disease, caring for an Alzheimers patient at home often becomes too demanding, dangerous and expensive. Family caregivers must respect their personal limits, recognize serious changes in their loved ones condition, and learn about alternative Alzheimers care options that may be more appropriate as daily needs increase.

Coping With Changes In Behavior And Personality

As well as changes in communication during the middle stages of dementia, troubling behavior and personality changes can also occur. These behaviors include aggressiveness, wandering, hallucinations, and eating or sleeping difficulties that can be distressing to witness and make your role as caregiver even more difficult.

Often, these behavioral issues are triggered or exacerbated by your loved ones inability to deal with stress, their frustrated attempts to communicate, or their environment. By making some simple changes, you can help ease your loved ones stress and improve their well-being, along with your own caregiving experience.

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