Elder Care Zone - Caring for the Elderly, Elder Health Care Services, Elder Home Care and More
    (Add to Favorites  |  View All Articles  |  Resource Directory)

Adding sparkle to an Alzheimers patient's life.


Short Trips Can Stimulate Alzheimers Patients


Severe degradation of short-term memory means that my father, an Alzheimer's elder, is seldom interested in movies or books. And, although music used to be a source of enjoyment, he no longer listens with pleasure. Left to his own devices, he sits. . .and sits. . .and sits unless he's sleeping. What to do?

We've found that visually stimulating events often perk our Alzheimer's elder right up. So we've added weekly, sometimes daily, trips, preferably four hours or less in duration, to his routine. These appear to add to his enjoyment of life and stimulate him to the extent that sometimes he'll add spontaneous comments to a conversation, a rare event nowadays.

Here are some of the outings that have added a little oomph to his life (and provided a short break from the daily grind of caregiving):

IMAX

IMAX presentations offer stunning cinematography that grabs and holds attention. The presentations are usually fairly short, about an hour in length, without a complicated story line. He enjoys the 3D effects and has remembered these films for several hours after the fact.

RIDE THE RAILS

A ride on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail takes less than three hours when you board at one end of the line and ride round-trip. In between, there are interesting stopovers, such as the West End, where people congregate for restaurants and entertainment. We think he enjoys watching the people as much as the museums and restaurants.

VISIT THE FARMER'S MARKET

Talk about visual stimulation! You couldn't find a place with more going on or more interesting things to see. He loves the market, and, as a bonus, we're able to find really fresh fruits and vegetables and flowers for the garden.

COMMUNITY THEATER

From time to time, community theaters produce old favorites that he still remembers. And the Grandbury Opera produces farces that we can all enjoy together. Trips to small towns like Grandbury that have preserved their history can supply openings to reminisce.

SHOP IN THE GROCERY STORE

If you'd never visited a supermarket, imagine how exciting your first trip would be! It's probably quite similar for our Alzheimer's elder and never fails to amuse him.

VISIT A SHOPPING MALL

Bookstores no longer hold much interest for my father, but walking the mall provides lots of opportunity for people-watching. He doesn't care much for exercise these days, so a trip to the mall provides a built-in excuse for walking.

These particular jaunts might not work for your Alzheimer's elder, but they should fire up your imagination.

About The Author

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. - Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, an internet company that helps seniors and caregivers find trustworthy residential care. She is the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them. She is also the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer's disease. Visit the author's web site at http://www.thebestisyet.net

pando19@thebestisyet.net


MORE RESOURCES:

News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News

Elderly care views wanted - Penarth Times

Elderly care views wanted
Penarth Times
AS the Older People's Commissioner for Wales' I am undertaking a review into whether older people (those aged 60 or over) are treated with dignity and ...

Two women charged with ripping off elderly residents - Mid-Hudson News

Two women charged with ripping off elderly residents
Mid-Hudson News
POUGHKEEPSIE – Two women, one a home health care aide, have been arrested in connection with the theft of cash, jewelry and personal checks from elderly ...

and more »

At home elderly care option - NECN

At home elderly care option
NECN
(NECN: Latoyia Edwards) - Caring for elderly loved ones can be extremely expensive. But people in Massachusetts have a new option from the state that will ...

Course Teaches Officers To Spot Elderly Abuse
South Florida police officers are learning how to spot abuse of elderly people and what to do about it.

You and Yours - Minister questioned on review of funding elderly care - DeHavilland (press release) (subscription)

You and Yours - Minister questioned on review of funding elderly care
DeHavilland (press release) (subscription)
The Government has initiated a review of funding options for the care of the UK's elderly population. Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat, Care Services Minister ...

The Technology for Monitoring Elderly Relatives
Technology offers growing options for keeping an eye (or an ear) on aging parents.

Child Abuse Education, Elderly Care, Nursing Students To Benefit From Grants - Medical News Today (press release)

Child Abuse Education, Elderly Care, Nursing Students To Benefit From Grants
Medical News Today (press release)
Texas-based Scott & White Healthcare has received three grants that provide education support to working nursing students, set up a senior health research ...

Tony Banks: How we pay for care of the elderly is a time bomb we must defuse
THE funding of long-term care of the elderly is a socio-economic time bomb successive governments at Westminster and Holyrood have failed to defuse.

Trust apologises to elderly patients
The director of nursing at Belfast Health Trust has apologised after claims some older people leave hospital malnourished. Related Stories Motorcyclist dies in crash Ulster Bank and group make Splash on activity garden On the Grapevine - July 28 Asbestosis group to help sufferers Councillor issues suicide alert over bridge jumpers

Plan care of elderly parents as soon as possible
The increasing number of Baby Boomers caring for their elderly parents need to take steps to avoid allowing the task to become a depressing, full-time endeavor, one expert warns. "Taking care of your parents happens before many of us even realize it. First, we're shopping for them. Then, we're taking them to doctors' appointments," personal finance expert Eric Tyson said. "And then we're helping ...

home | site map | articles
© 2006