How to Cope with a Parent with Alzheimer's

When a parent or loved one falls victim to Alzheimer's it can be difficult emotionally to understand why this is happening and how to handle it. Follow these simply steps to help you get started.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet
• Book
• Labeler
• Dry Erase Board

1. Never blame the person. It's common to not understand how someone can't remember what you've told them 15 times today. The best example I've heard is that the brain is like a broken extension cord. It works if it's laying a certain way. Move it and it shorts out and loses the electricity. Move it back and it works again. This is how the brain of an Alzheimer's patient works.
2. Buy the book "The 36 Hour Day" by Nancy Mace and Peter Rabins. This is a MUST read for any care giver of someone with memory loss.
3. Join a support group.
4. If you are the care giver, then hire a professional care giver to come in once or twice a week to give you a break.
5. See your doctor. There's medication to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's. Be respectful of the patient when you take them. You may need to talk to the doctor in private before hand.
6. Follow these simple rules to make day to day life easier:
   
   1. Label drawers and cabinets to help them find things easier.
   2. Don't change things. Keep the decor, furniture location, etc. constant.
   3. If something's bothering the person... fix it! My Mom ask me if the clock was right 5 times in about 60 minutes. Finally I said "You know what it isn't right. What does your watch say?" She told me and I adjusted the clock by 2 minutes and said, "There you go. I fixed it for you. You were right it was off. Now it's right." She never asked me again.
   4. Keep meals nutritious yet simple.
   5. Don't have people over in large groups. Instead have smaller groups more often.
   6. Reduce stress and anxiety. These things increase symptoms and repeatability.
   7. Even though the roles may be reversed, NEVER forget they're still your parent. Always treat them with respect and love.
   8. Plan activities like planting flowers, making necklaces, scrap booking, looking through photo albums, reading together, going to the zoo, etc.
   9. Use a dry erase board to write the month, day, and year. You may want to also write key things to remember for the day like "Jimmy is coming to visit today" or "Oprah comes on at 2:00 today on channel 5". What ever you do keep it simple and short.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit www.alz.org