(Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory)
|
|
|
Preventing Alzheimer's patients from losing thingsHoney, Where Are The Car Keys?Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop? A: This is a great question and I have a lot of material to work with. My grand mother had made me the most beautiful doilies. One resident in my adult family home insisted that they were the ones she had made and took them when I wasn't looking. I would put her in bed at night only to find my doilies hidden in her diaper. After dinner one evening we discovered a client's $3000.00 dollar pair of hearing aids wrapped up in a nice little napkin and stuffed in her drinking cup. Some residents would go through others belongings, when I would suggest that they stop because the purse belonged to someone else, they would reply, "I know that" and would continue digging. The weirdest experience I had was a resident who liked to clothes shop so much that she would go shopping in other peoples closets. Invariably, just when you need something, it has disappeared, whether it's your doilies, car keys, glasses, or hearing aids. Hiding, hoarding and losing things are very common things you have to deal with when you are caring for a person with Alzheimer's. To cut down on the prospect of losing very important things, here is a list of things to do to help you. 1. Simplify your surroundings. You would be amazed at how much easier it is to care for a person with Alzheimer's if you aren't surrounded by clutter. If you lose something, you will have less to sort through to find it. 2. Keep really important things in a locked and secure place. 3. Childproof your cabinets and doors that you don't want your loved one rummaging through. 4. Don't leave things lying around. 5. Keep your loved ones glasses, hearing aids, and teeth in a plastic container or tub when you put them to bed at night. That way you will always know where they are in the morning. Here are a few other things to keep in mind. 1. People with Alzheimer's like to put their teeth and hearing aids in their napkins at meal time. Always check napkins before throwing them into the trash. 2. Check their wastebaskets before you throw out the trash. 3. Check their pockets before doing the laundry-if they haven't put something of value in them, I can almost guarantee that there is a Kleenex in them, a load of laundry washed with a Kleenex is the not very fun. 4. If a person with Alzheimer's is a wanderer you will want to check the sides of their chairs frequently also. While you may not be able to stop this behavior all together you might be able to control it a bit better with these tips. Renee "Dutchy" Reeves is an Elder Care Consultant with over 10 years of working with the elderly and their families. Her online advice column, "Ask Dutchy" provides practical ideas and advice for assisting the elderly with Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Parkinson's, disability, and those needing long term care.
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News Two women charged with ripping off elderly residents - Mid-Hudson News Tony Banks: How we pay for care of the elderly is a time bomb we must defuse Start planning to help your elderly parents Elderly care: Who should pay? - One News Page Course Teaches Officers To Spot Elderly Abuse Woman accused of bilking elderly couple |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Long term Care Insurance - Probably the most important asset you could ever own If you're 60 to 70 years old .. Assisted Living - Combatting Patient Loneliness Q: Six months ago we placed my mother in an assisted living facility. She gets along fairly well, but we thought she would get involved with all of the activities. Long Term In-Home health care expenses can be reduced Are you worried that you may lose all your life's earnings and nest egg due to the rising costs of in-home long term care? As you get older do you have the necessary finances to protect yourself from going broke while slightly incapacitated? Many seniors are worried about are worried about the costs of long-term health care.Are you worried that if something happens to you, that you may run out of money and burn thru their reserves and all your nest egg. How many employees should a nursing home have? During the week of February 17, 2002, headlines screamed the news - more than 92% of US nursing homes fail to have an adequate number of staff to provide quality care for elderly residents. Newspapers and radio programs based their stories on the new study the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recently provided to the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. Assisted Living - Nursing Homes are not the only answer The cost of skilled nursing care is slowly rising. Currently, the average cost of care in Arizona ranges from $3,500 to $4,500 per month. How to decide if your loved one needs assisted living According to the Administration on Aging, it is estimated by 2030, the older population will more than double to approximately 71.5 million. Skilled Nursing Homes and other Assisted Living Arrangements compared A skilled nursing home is a medical facility providing services similar to a hospital. The homes are staffed with licensed nurses, shared rooms, hospital beds, regular scheduled doctor rounds, meals and housekeeping. Housing for lower income seniors who are able to care for themselves A few years ago Miranda M. became a widow. Help combat depression for your senior freinds and family Sixty-five year old Arthur Jones served a self-imposed life sentence - in his own home.Arthur lived in a high crime neighborhood, so he built iron cages around his outside doors and installed bars on all the windows. Retirement considerations for UK citizens Retiring abroad needs careful planning. Not all countries have the same entitlement to benefits as the UK and your tax liability may be affected. Protecting Seniors from Fraud Ruth is 87 years old this year and has been living alone since 1997. She is in good health, however the daily chores around the home became increasingly difficult. Preventing Alzheimer's patients from losing things Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop?A: This is a great question and I have a lot of material to work with.My grand mother had made me the most beautiful doilies. Wheelchair accessories can make life easier and more comfortable Wheelchairs come in every shape and size with sufficient options that you can find the wheels you like to take you where you want to go with the assistance you need. To enhance the comfort and convenience of your journey, choose accessories tailored to provide the best support for your activities and your health concerns. Long-Term Care Insurance is Essential - Why, and what to look for Don't think you need it? Consider this: a full 50% of Americans over the age of 50 will need long term care at some point in their lives. The average cost of nursing facility care (or home health care assistance) is $61,000 per year, and the average stay in a long term care facility is 2½ years. Selecting a reputable senior care service Good news! You no longer have to risk chance when it comes to selecting a reputable elder care service for yourself or for a loved one. Senior Approved Services has certified a select number of businesses in our area serving the elderly and disabled populations. Stair Lifts - Give your freedom a boost! Using stairs is an everyday nightmare for many people. As we grow older the stairs in our home can become more of a struggle due to mobility problems associated with old age, an accident or illness. Financial Help for seniors with respiratory problems As HMOs Continue to Drop Coverage for Seniors - Now Over 500,000 Victims - Those Needing Expensive Respiratory Medication, Support and Homecare Services are the Hardest HitOne Patient Advocate, Geriatric Services of America, is Providing Relief to Victimized Patients Through a Unique, Often No-Cost ProgramMore than 536,000 US senior citizens are scrambling to find new doctors or new coverage because their health plans terminated their Medicare managed-care services, according to a Nonrenewal Report issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the year 2002. Among the hardest hit are seniors in California (84,000), Florida (59,000), Pennsylvania (55,000), New Jersey (53,000), Texas (46,000), and Michigan (31,000), who will be losing coverage in the coming year. While standing in line for a prescription... I finally went to the doctor this morning for my bad cold. My appointment was for 9:30 am and yet I didn't get home until after 1:00 pm. Getting your senior to wear adult diapers Q: My mom is in the early stages of dementia and she is also incontinent we have tried to get her to stop wearing her underpants and have her start wearing pull-up diapers, she throws the Depends out the door and puts her underpants on. Of coarse we have a lot of laundry! How should I handle this?A: This one should be fairly easy to solve. What is Christmas actually? Every year, as Christmas approaches, you hear Christmas carols everywhere. Sometimes to the point where another Silent Night would make you want to silent the sound system.
|
| home | site map | articles |
| © 2006 |