Here are some really interesting Alzheimer's news bites I was reading on Facebook's Medical News "feed":
The website for non-facebook-ers is http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/. Look in Alzheimer's/Dementia category
- Being a member of a social group can reduce risk of conditions like stroke, DEMENTIA, and even the common cold.
- Infections may hasten memory loss in Alzheimer's.
- Eating curry every week could prevent dementia by prevent spread of plaques in the brain. Plaques and tangles in the brain are characteristics of Alzheimer's disease...they prevent transmission of information between brain cells.
Another blog I read, "Had a Dad", noted that World Alzheimer's Day is 9/21. Purple is the color worn to show support for those with Alzheimer's. There are Memory Walks across the US to raise awareness and money for research...the website for information is www.actionalz.org/overview.asp .
There is a clinical trial being started for a new drug, Dimebon, which may actually reverse Alzheimer's. To be in it, the patient must be taking Aricept.
Here's the link to the clinical trial site: http://www.concertstudy.com/.
The site also has some other information on Alzheimer's.
News on Dad:
He still seems to be doing well, although his new caregiver, Judy, said he has been missing my mom alot. He gets kind of upset if I don't call or go over there every day, which I don't like because it makes me feel pressured and irritated. It's like they say...no one can make you feel (angry, guilty, sad,...insert yours here) unless you let them. Dad called today and asked me to make him a copy of the key to the front door. Carol, my sister, suggested I tell him he sleepwalks, so he can't have a key. I'll tell him to get the caregiver if he wants to go out to get the paper in the morning (after 7:00!). I can tell it's going to get ugly sooner or later.
Janice got him to go outside with her to trim the bushes. Yay! He used to love working in the yard. I also think he feels a sense of accomplishment when he is able to help with jobs around the house.
Things are going well. No major new issues.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Never Assume they Can't!
Today I found a wonderful list of "rules" to help caregivers help people with Alzheimer's. It was written by Jo Huey in her 1996 book Help and Hope (available at www.alzheimersinstitutellc.com).
10 Absolutes for Alzheimer's Caregivers
1. Never Argue.......Instead, Agree
2. Never Reason........Instead, Divert
3. Never Shame ........Instead, Distract
4. Never Lecture........Instead, Reassure
5. Never say "Remember".......Instead, Reminisce
6. Never say "I Told You"....Instead, Repeat and Regroup
7. Never say "You Can't"..........Instead, do what they CAN
8. Never Command/Demand....Instead, Ask/Model
9. Never Condescend..........Instead, Encourage/Praise
10. Never Enforce........Instead, Reinforce
I'm going to post this on my mirror (refrigerator, wall, bulletin board, or whatever!)!
Yesterday, I dropped by Dad's house to see how he was...He was in such a great mood! He was laughing and smiling and joking around. It was so uplifting to see him so happy.We needed to have Dad's power service switched into his name, so I offered to help him. I dialed the number and spoke with the man with the power company, explaining what we needed. They needed to speak with Dad to confirm that this is what he wanted, yada yada. I expected to just hand Dad the phone for him to say "whatever she says", as usual, but he kept talking, answering the questions himself! He did have to ask what some of the answers were, but he wanted to do it himself. At one point, he was put on hold. He looked up, laughed, and asked, "what am I doing again?". I had to leave before the phone call was completed, but Dad's caregiver said he finished it and got the power connected by himself!
When I got home, it really hit me that I need to let him do things by himself, unless he wants help. By jumping in and doing everything for him, I'm giving the message that he can't do it. I think it was good for his self-confidence and self-esteem to complete the call himself.
Lesson: A variation on Absolute #7:
Never Assume they Can't...Help them succeed at what they CAN
After the visit, I told his caregiver that Dad seemed happier than I'd seen him in a long time. She said he's been so much fun the past few days, joking and laughing. Apparently, the medication the doctor gave him to sleep is working amazingly well, and he's sleeping like a baby (Why do people say that? Babies don't sleep that well!). I really think that's one reason he's in such a great mood...he's not dead-tired!
This has been one of the Good Days! Praise God!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Good days, Bad days
Who doesn't have 'em?
Dad was having an especially confused day recently, and I asked his caregiver if she had noticed it. Of course, she had. Having worked with Alzheimer's patients (what do you call them...sufferers, or what?), she said that he will have good days and bad days, progressing to good weeks and bad weeks, and downhill from there. This particularly bad day may have been the effects from medication he was prescribed to help his obsessive behavior and to help him sleep. His caregiver said she doesn't like that medication - Seraquil - because it made her previous patient really out of it. It didn't even help him sleep. He must have a really high tolerance for medication. The doctor also prescribed medication especially for insomnia, but it could be habit forming. What to do?
The man doesn't sleep. He stays up obsessing about his checkbook, his car registration being out of date, not having a key for the doors (he actually tried to pry the door open with his pocket-knive...yikes!), his lost alarm clock, or some such important thing.
After obsessing about where his car was, we finally let him have it, with the condition that he not drive without someone in the car. Funny thing is, now that he has it, he just looks in the garage to make sure it's there and doesn't even want to drive it. Sometimes, he even asks whose car it is. I think it's a control issue. He's always been a control freak, which is not a positive thing except that he was a surgeon.
My sister told me today that the man from the Alzheimer's Association that she spoke with after my mom died (and we realized that Dad had a good case of Alzheimer's going ) called to find out how things are going. I'm really impressed that he followed up. She told him about Dad asking his caregivers and others if they would come have sex with him for money. He said that he tells caregivers whom he talks with that if they haven't been propositioned at least once, their patient doesn't have Alzheimer's! Phew! Also, people with Alzheimer's often combine stories or situations from different periods of their lives. For instance, my Dad was a pilot in WWII. Later in life, he practiced medicine in Alaska for doctors who were on vacation for long periods. He now says he worked in Alaska and flew planes from island to island helping sick people.
It's really hard visiting with Dad. He just doesn't have anything to say. He has trouble remembering words and is getting frustrated with his loss of memory. This must be the hardest period for people with Alzheimer's. They know enough to know they're losing it. I just have to ask him questions, and when he tells me the same thing for the 10th time, I just act really interested and engage him in the story.
On a personal note, I really feel for family members who have to care for their Alzheimer's relatives. Just working with my dad is emotionally exhausting...I often go home and cry. It takes a special personality with extreme patience to care for them full-time. It just seems to engulf my world and I don't get anything else done. I'm making mistakes at work, can't seem to get caught up with everything at home (or at least keep up), and I am feeling overwhelmed. Waahhhh!
On a positive note, my family is very understanding, and my Dad is very sweet and gentle. He can get testy and sarcastic, but at least he's not abusive.
I wish I could find matches for all the single socks in the laundry room.
...that's the good, the bad and the ugly update
Dad was having an especially confused day recently, and I asked his caregiver if she had noticed it. Of course, she had. Having worked with Alzheimer's patients (what do you call them...sufferers, or what?), she said that he will have good days and bad days, progressing to good weeks and bad weeks, and downhill from there. This particularly bad day may have been the effects from medication he was prescribed to help his obsessive behavior and to help him sleep. His caregiver said she doesn't like that medication - Seraquil - because it made her previous patient really out of it. It didn't even help him sleep. He must have a really high tolerance for medication. The doctor also prescribed medication especially for insomnia, but it could be habit forming. What to do?
The man doesn't sleep. He stays up obsessing about his checkbook, his car registration being out of date, not having a key for the doors (he actually tried to pry the door open with his pocket-knive...yikes!), his lost alarm clock, or some such important thing.
After obsessing about where his car was, we finally let him have it, with the condition that he not drive without someone in the car. Funny thing is, now that he has it, he just looks in the garage to make sure it's there and doesn't even want to drive it. Sometimes, he even asks whose car it is. I think it's a control issue. He's always been a control freak, which is not a positive thing except that he was a surgeon.
My sister told me today that the man from the Alzheimer's Association that she spoke with after my mom died (and we realized that Dad had a good case of Alzheimer's going ) called to find out how things are going. I'm really impressed that he followed up. She told him about Dad asking his caregivers and others if they would come have sex with him for money. He said that he tells caregivers whom he talks with that if they haven't been propositioned at least once, their patient doesn't have Alzheimer's! Phew! Also, people with Alzheimer's often combine stories or situations from different periods of their lives. For instance, my Dad was a pilot in WWII. Later in life, he practiced medicine in Alaska for doctors who were on vacation for long periods. He now says he worked in Alaska and flew planes from island to island helping sick people.
It's really hard visiting with Dad. He just doesn't have anything to say. He has trouble remembering words and is getting frustrated with his loss of memory. This must be the hardest period for people with Alzheimer's. They know enough to know they're losing it. I just have to ask him questions, and when he tells me the same thing for the 10th time, I just act really interested and engage him in the story.
On a personal note, I really feel for family members who have to care for their Alzheimer's relatives. Just working with my dad is emotionally exhausting...I often go home and cry. It takes a special personality with extreme patience to care for them full-time. It just seems to engulf my world and I don't get anything else done. I'm making mistakes at work, can't seem to get caught up with everything at home (or at least keep up), and I am feeling overwhelmed. Waahhhh!
On a positive note, my family is very understanding, and my Dad is very sweet and gentle. He can get testy and sarcastic, but at least he's not abusive.
I wish I could find matches for all the single socks in the laundry room.
...that's the good, the bad and the ugly update
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)