Alzheimer's Front Row

Framework of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:24:43 PST

The Draft Framework for the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

The draft framework is structured around five ambitious goals:

Prevent and Effectively Treat Alzheimer's Disease by 2025.
Optimize Care Quality and Efficiency.
Expand Patient and Family Support.
Enhance Public Awareness and Engagement.
Track Progress and Drive Improvement.

Goal 1: Prevent and Effectively Treat Alzheimer’s Disease by 2025

Read the entire draft here -- Framework of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease

More Insight and Advice for Caregivers

Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease

Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients

How Alzheimer's Spreads Throughout the Brain

Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

Last 20 Alzheimer's Articles

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:12:26 PST

The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of information for the entire Alzheimer's community.

The site focuses on Alzheimer's disease, dementia, Alzheimer's caregivers, and the art of Alzheimer's caregiving. Each day, on average, 1,232 people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

This page contains the last 20 articles published on the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

The page updates dynamically, so you can bookmark the page to see the current list in real time.

Last 20 Articles Articles

Our goal is to Educate, offer real solutions to problems, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families.

Alzheimer's Disease -- Communication Skills and Coping with Behavior

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:24:14 PST

The Alzheimer's caregiver deals with a disease and behaviors that are difficult, sometimes impossible, to understand.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
September, 2010

Alzheimer's disease turns the world of the Alzheimer's caregiver upside down.

Imagine a person you know all, or most, of your life and their behavior changes-- suddenly -- and for the worse.

This person, your loved one, begins to act out behaviors that you have never seen or experienced.

You are forced to try and deal with these behaviors. It is not easy.

Continue reading -- Alzheimer's Disease -- Communication Skills and Coping with Behavior

100 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's CareGiving -- Insight and Advice

Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

Communicating in Alzheimer's World

Worried About Alzheimer's Disease -- You Should Be

What is Alzheimer's? What are the Eight Types of Dementia?

Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients

Alzheimer's Disease Statistics

Is it Really Alzheimer's or Something Else?

Ten Symptoms of Early Stage Alzheimer's

Ten Tips for Communicating with an Alzheimer’s Patient

The Alzheimer's Action Plan

300 Tips for Making Life Easier

Alzheimer's Disease -- Communication Skills and Coping with Behavior

Rewiring My Brain and Stepping into Alzheimer's World

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:06:38 PST

Once you start to understand how things work in Alzheimer's World you get calm and comfortable. Once you get calm and comfortable you give off a better "vibe" to someone that has Alzheimer's.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Rewiring My Brain and Stepping into Alzheimer's World

Read More on the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Communicating in Alzheimer's World

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You

Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

What is Dementia?

Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease

Advice and Insight -- Alzheimer's Reading Room

Dementia and the Eight Types of Dementia

Why is this happening? What can I do?

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:39:42 PST

If you are not actively searching for solutions, you are part of the problem.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Yesterday I read what I considered to be a rather nasty complaint from an Alzheimer's caregiver. The caregiver complained that her father ruined Christmas for everyone especially her because he was grouchy and yelling at the kids.

I conjured up an image of what it would be like for someone living with Alzheimer's to be exposed to a bunch of unruly kids running around and yelling and screaming.

I asked myself, what would my reaction be? Well if the kids were playing and having a good time, I might smile. On the other hand, if the kids were being loud and rude, I might be thinking something like, why don't their parents step in and ask them to behave?

But, if I saw someone living with dementia that was clearly distress about the behavior of the kids and acting out, I know exactly what I would do.

First, I would move the person to another room or another area of the house. No, I would not leave them alone, and no, I would not put them in front of a television.

In our home, I would move them to the kitchen area and I would have one or more adults sit and talk with them. I might suggest some discussion around pictures, or old times.

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This situation reminded me of the many times that Dotty and I have visited the Banana Boat in Boynton Beach.

As we walk up the ramp to the outside bar area I can feel Dotty starting to hold back. Two things are happening. First, it is starting to get noisy. Second, Dotty is starting to see what must look to her like a wild and crazy group of people.

As we move into the outdoor area I can actually feel Dotty starting to withdraw. She moves forward with great reluctance, her feet start dragging, and she starts to shrink. It is like she is getting ready to fall over on her face.

A quick look at her face would tell you that she is either confused, worried, or ready to turn around and go back in the other direction (go home).

In order to deal with this I have to talk to Dotty in a low calm voice and offer lots of positive encouragement. I reinforce her by reassuring her I am there, and nothing bad is going to happen.

We now have good luck because many of the people know Dotty, and the first thing that happens is that they start to meet her with great enthusiasm and a smile on their face.

There is never a seat available but I know that someone is either going to get up and give Dotty their seat, or someone is going to be told to get up and give Dotty their seat.

Two things I never do. First, I never sit Dotty way up in the front where the live music is loud, and the hustle and bustle is the at the highest level. Two, I seat Dotty so that she is not facing the hustle and bustle and is looking directly across at people who are seated.

When we first started going to the Banana Boat, Dotty would ask constantly, when are we going home? Now, one hundred percent of the time when I say to Dotty, time to go home, she asks me why we are leaving?

And now to the point the point of this article.

Did the person living with Alzheimer's ruin the day for his family? Or, did the woman who complained that he ruined the day, ruin the day for him?

Why don't more Alzheimer's caregivers ask themselves, why is this happening? Or, what can I do about this? Instead of complaining.

I learned it is a lot easier to examine the source of a problem, and then change the dynamic to resolve the problem. In this case, move a person living with dementia to a less stress filled area.

I think many of us know that Alzheimer's patients don't like excessive noise, and excessive stimuli (too many people in one confined area).

I also know that many caregivers conclude they cannot take a person suffering from Alzheimer's to large family gatherings, or into large groups.

If you fall into this category ask yourself why not? Learn to massage any and all environments to make them dementia friendly.

There are problems and their are solutions for persons living with dementia.

If you are not actively searching for solutions you are part of the problem.

I am convinced that the vast majority of Alzheimer's caregivers want to be part of the solution.

Like me you might think, something has to change. In my case I finally learned that something was me.

http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2011/12/why-is-this-happening-what-can-i-do.html

Merry Christmas

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:36:15 PST

I Forgot My Mother Has Alzheimer's

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:49:00 PST

In Alzheimer's World, Dotty is the person I always knew. Sure, her brain is sick. But, once I started treating Dotty like the person I always knew, she rewarded me by becoming kinder, gentler, and more cooperative.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Learning How to Communicate
with Someone Suffering From Dementia

If you want to get some good insight into how I rewired my brain and became a more effective Alzheimer's caregiver I suggest you take the time to read these two article:Alzheimer's and the Wiring of My Brain, and Rewiring My Brain and Stepping into Alzheimer's World.

I'm not sure when I actually started to forget that Dotty lives with Alzheimer's.

Read the entire story here.

Alzheimer's Revelation, Live Your Life

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:15:36 PST

I decided that Dotty and I would start doing the things that we enjoyed doing together.

By Bob DeMarco

If you don't see the podcast go here.

Text version of this podcast.

This is Bob DeMarco founder of the Alzheimer’s Reading Room.com.

In the past few months, I did 33 television and radio interviews. These interviews helped me to refine my views on Alzheimer’s caregiving.

Often the interviewers want to know what tips I have for caregivers.

Everything I learned so far centers around one central theme. A single idea that came to me late one night.

I wrote my idea down on a pad. I wrote.

We will start living our life the way we always had.

I remember thinking at the time that this was an important Revelation.

Several years later, I now know and understand this is the single most important decision I ever made.

It was simple really. I decided that Dotty and I would start doing the things that we enjoyed doing together before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

I thought this would be easy to execute. I soon learned that I was wrong.

As it turned out, most of the time when I suggested to Dotty that we go to the pool or something like that she would say NO. The first thing I had to do was work my way around this. It wasn’t easy. In fact, I gave up more than once.

It took more than a year for me to learn not to accept NO for an answer. At least another year to develop patterns that allowed us to do things -- even though Dotty was still saying NO.

This one thing keep me going. I knew what Dotty enjoyed doing. I knew what made her happy and I knew that most of these activities would benefit her. I was also hoping that by engaging in normal activities it would help slow the progression of the Alzheimer’s disease.

I started refusing to take NO for an answer.

Not in any mean spirited way. In fact, in a very gentle, loving, caring way. I learned how to smile when she said no, and how to talk in a low confident voice.

What I stopped doing was -- getting frustrated and all bent out of shape.

I learned how to take her by the hand, and lead. Interestingly and happily, she started to follow. Follow even while continuing to say NO.

Many of you saw the video where I take Dotty to the pool. You noticed she continued to say NO all the way to the pool, and even when she was starting to get into the pool.

I lead her there with a smile on my face. By holding her hand. And, by occasionally touching my head to her head and saying something positive in a very low loving caring voice. These days, Dotty usually smiles at me when I do this. That was not the case in the beginning.

It took me more than a year to get Dotty to the pool. And it took many months before I could get her into the water.

I finally learned a technique that worked. No cajoling. Just a constant reminder that she is going to enjoy what we are going to do. I hold her hand and I lead her through the steps it takes to reach our final objective.

The key word here. I lead. I lead with my hand and with my eyes wide open.

I learned this. You don’t need to try hard. You need to relax, be patient and lead.

Sooner or later they will follow your lead.

Remember this. If they enjoyed doing something before Alzheimer’s they will still enjoy that activity now.

Don’t forget to get on the yellow brick road. Ignore the wicked witch called Alzheimer’s disease. If you ignore the disease long enough you’ll find that sometimes it is not even there.

Be gentle. Lead.

Live your life.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Read More on the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Communicating in Alzheimer's World

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You

Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

What is Dementia?

Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease

Advice and Insight -- Alzheimer's Reading Room

Dementia and the Eight Types of Dementia

The Alzheimer's Action Plan

300 Tips for Making Life Easier

Alzheimer's Patient and Parrot Sing and Discuss Breakfast

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:59:30 PST

Dotty is 95 years old and suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Harvey is a repeat parrot and right now is Dotty's best friend.

Harvey is also one of the 15 million Alzheimer's caregivers.

Dotty spends about two hours a day with Harvey. Harvey is very good at getting information out of Dotty. For example, she might tell him she has a "splitting headache". Most Alzheimer's patients are not very good at communicating this kind of information.

Enjoy the short video. Your comments and observations are always welcome here.

Go here to check out Pete the Repeat Parrot.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Happy Thanksgiving

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:31:15 PST

Happy Thanksgiving from Dotty and Bob

Alzheimer's Just Let Them Do it

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:30:00 PST

Several months after my great Alzheimer's caregiver idea, I received one of the biggest shocks of my Alzheimer's caregiver life. A shock that sent me into a tailspin like I had never experienced previously in my life -- it sent me to the edge of total despair..

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Bob DeMarco

Almost every day I am reminded of one of the most important things I learned about Alzheimer's caregiving -- Just let them do it.

In my case, this refers to my mother Dotty. Dotty has Alzheimer's disease.

Continue Reading...

Alzheimer's Patient Dotty Sings and Talks to Parrot (Video)

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:37:09 PST

Dotty performs live, and talks with Harvey the Parrot

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Dotty is 95 years old and lives with Alzheimer's. She was diagnosed in 2004.

I learned something today that I had never heard before. Dotty mentioned the Lobster Club in south Philadelphia in the video.

The Lobster Club turned 100 years old in 2007. After a little investigation, I found out it is about a block and one half from where my mother lived as a young girl.

The members of the Lobster Club also performed in the famous Mummers Day Parade on New Year's Day in Philly.

Read more at the Alzheimer's Reading Room

What Was the Craziest, Dumbest, or Most Ignorant Question You Were Asked About a Person Living with Dementia?

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 08:16:58 PDT

To add your comment go here.

What Was the Craziest, Dumbest, or Most Ignorant Question You Were Asked About a Person Living with Dementia?

By Topic

Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's Disease (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

Communicating in Alzheimer's World

No Thanks, We're Fine: Supporting Families Living With Dementia

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:41:14 PDT

URL: http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2011/09/no-thanks-...

A compelling video featuring caregivers to people with dementia appealing to their fellow caregivers to seek support and take respite.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/mUO0E4

Study Links Surgery and Anesthesia With Alzheimer’s

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:14:20 PDT

URL: http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2011/10/study-link...

"Although not definitive, this human biomarker study gives some credibility to the notion that anesthesia and surgery produce an inflammatory insult on the brain and accelerate chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's."

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/qumB5f

Alice in Alzheimer's Land

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:19:00 PDT

You wake up one day and realize you have fallen into a deep, dark hole.

It only gets worse, no matter how hard you try, you can't get out.

You try and try and try, but before long you become convinced that you will never get out.

Will anyone help me?

Read Alice in Alzheimer's Land

More Insight and Advice for Caregivers

How Alzheimer's Destroys the Brain -- Video

Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

What is Dementia?

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Communicating in Alzheimer's World

How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You

Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease

Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients

100 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room Now

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten Audio, Transcript

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:14:16 PDT

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Front Row

Listen to Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?

Original Content the Alzheimer's Reading -- to read the text version go here
Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?
To learn what people are saying about the Alzheimer's Reading Room go here
100+ Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
To learn more about the Alzheimer's Reading Room go here
About Alzheimer's Reading Room
To learn more about Alzheimer's and dementia start here
What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?
To test your memory for Alzheimer's or dementia go here
Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

The Alzheimer's Action Plan

300 Tips for Making Life Easier

Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 1,610 articles with more than 8,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.

Recent Articles on Alzheimer's (July)

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:46:28 PDT

Last 25 Articles Articles

How Do Alzheimer's Patients Die? Audio

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:19:46 PDT

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Front Row

I have a good friend. We are close in age. Like my mother, Dotty, his mother is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

His mother is cared for by his sister. He lives a long way from his mom.

John is getting worried so he calls me and asks, how do you die from Alzheimer's disease? Just asks me, up front, straight out.

Read How Do Alzheimer's Patients Die?

Bob DeMarco is the Founder and editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.

Rewiring My Brain and Stepping into Alzheimer's World

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:00:10 PDT

Once you start to understand how things work in Alzheimer's World you get calm and comfortable. Once you get calm and comfortable you give off a better "vibe" to someone that has Alzheimer's.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

I would find a new way to communicate with my mother who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

I wrote that on my da Vinci pad in 2004. This was at the same time I was coming to another conclusion, something had to change and that something was me.

I did not perceived the changes in communication as being difficult. After all, I had been studying communication and decision making all the way back to college days, and ever since. I figured some practice and I would get the hang of it.

What I did not immediately perceive was how difficult it would be to change all the things I had learned over the course of my life.

For example, I had to learn how NOT to feel bad when my mother said something mean spirited to me.

I knew consciously that every time my mother said something "mean" to me, she didn't mean it. I knew this because she never said any of those things to me before dementia started effecting her brain. Her ability to think and feel.

So, I knew it was Alzheimer's that was causing her to be so "mean".

Nevertheless, when Dotty said something mean, and even though I knew she didn't mean it, I still felt sad, angry, and often snapped back at her. In other words, I reacted the way I would react to anyone that treated me in that way.

All I can say is, Wowie Zowie. It is very hard and very difficult to change patterns of behavior that you learned over 50 years.

I had to rewire my brain.

I decided it would be easier if I could put myself in a new place. This is why I invented Alzheimer's World. Instead of trying to relearn my entire life, I decide I would start a brand new life, a second parallel life.

My new second life would reside within the confines of Alzheimer's World. In Alzheimer's World all the rules, feelings, and methods of communication would be different.

I started developing some ideas about how I would communicate effectively with someone that couldn't remember they were mean to me, and really couldn't remember my "too long" explanations of this and that.

In order to get control of my emotions I knew I had to move fast and seamlessly into Alzheimer's World. I had to get there before the anger came up. Anger, even though I knew I shouldn't be angry.

At first, I was having trouble getting to Alzheimer's World on time.

I came up with an idea that worked. As soon as the craziness started, I would take one giant step to the left. An actual physical step to the left. As I made this step, I would tell myself that I was going into Alzheimer's World.

It took a while, but it worked. My brain was rewired. More or less segmented into two parts, real world and Alzheimer's World. Over time I learned to separate one from the other.

Once I learned how to step seamlessly into Alzheimer's World something wonderful started to happen. Dotty finally, after a few years, stopped saying all those mean and nasty things to me.

This one is for CJ Wright. She started to say thank you sometimes. She started to smile.

She started telling people, Bobby is a good boy.

Here is the best part. The better I became at communicating in Alzheimer's World, the sweeter and more cooperative Dotty became. Not that the world is perfect. Dotty is still Dotty and she can still be a big pain in the butt.

You see, once I accepted that I needed to communicate and interact with Dotty in her new world she became happier and easier to deal with.

Now, we didn't leave the real world. Alzheimer's World is a combination of the two worlds. In Alzheimer's World it is understood that the person can't remember the now. They can't remember the sentence before this one.

In Alzheimer's World it is perfectly fine if someone asks the same question 20 times in a row. This is how communication goes in Alzheimer's World. In Alzheimer's World it is perfectly fine if a person says NO 50 times a day. NO does not have the same meaning in Alzheimer's World. In fact, in my opinion NO has no meaning in Alzheimer's World. Just think, duh.

Once you start to understand how things work in Alzheimer's World you get calm and comfortable. Once you get calm and comfortable you give off a better "vibe" to someone that has Alzheimer's. If you can get to the "vibe", the person suffering from Alzheimer's becomes calmer and feels more secure.

Let's put it this way. If you were sent to live somewhere where all the people were purple and they spoke so fast you couldn't understand a word they were saying -- how would you feel?

If you felt like all the purple people didn't like you -- how would you feel all day long?

If you were stuck in this purple world and couldn't figure out how to get out, and couldn't understand how you got there in the first place -- how would you feel?

Alzheimer's World can be a wonderful place. In fact, most Alzheimer's patients are very sweet once you get to know them. They are very appreciative.

Keeping stepping to the left. You'll find the door.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's Caregiver Bridget

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:29:33 PDT

We do have our "dull" moments and I feel quilty that I can't fill every minute with activity, because I know she would be happier.

Alzheimer's Reading Room

Our reader Bridget wrote:

I am at a loss somedays for what to do, my mother-in-law, a very strong willed woman before ALZ, helped run my husbands business for almost 20 years.

Over the last four years I have started working in the business taking over her duties. She is 85 and we bring her to work every day, but as technology changes and the disease progesses there is less that she can do and more for me to do.

We try jigsaw puzzles, adding up utility bills, sorting items to be filed, it all keeps her busy for a moment but involves a lot of my direction, at some pont, I really have to work and can't keep her entertained.

That leads to napping, endless questions, and irritation on both our parts. People suggest taking her to daycare (I hate calling it that) but I'm afraid of her reaction and that she will be scared and upset when I leave her. There are suggestions of giving her a coloring book, but she's not a child, and I don't want to insult her. So, we do have our "dull" moments and I feel quilty that I can't fill every minute with activity, because I know she would be happier. But I will keep trying and see a "Harvey" in our future.

Bridget, I read your words several times. It is clear to me that your heart is in the right place. I understand how difficult it can be to make any decision "for" a person suffering from Alzheimer's. It is always best to keep it simple.

If you can afford adult day care at a well run facility I would strongly suggest you take that step.

In my experience, almost all Alzheimer's patients say they DON'T want to go. They say NO when asked. Most go kicking and screaming until they finally get set into a pattern of going. Waiting for this pattern to take hold can often takes great patience. It can make your heart hurt for a while.

I can also say that every single caregiver I know that uses day care advocates adult day care for persons suffering from Alzheimer's. Most patients come home happier and "more there".

Look for a facility that has plenty of bright light or that takes the patients into bright light. In my opinion there is no substitute for bright light and it works wonders in some cases.

If you were a friend of mine, I would be handing you a coloring book and the crayons or markers right now. The proof is in the pudding. If your mother in law enjoys the activity it is worthwhile. Don't make the mistake of allowing your own feelings or biases get in the way of trying anything that works. Let her entertain herself if she is capable of doing so. Go for the "more there".

Much of the success I had with my mother stemmed from a simple decision. To start her day the same way it had started for over 20 years. Coffee and the newspaper in the morning. We had gotten away from it. A mistake. My mother still reads to me from the paper. She still does the crossword puzzle. New people are always surprised at my mother's ability to speak sentences and read. If not for our morning regimen, I doubt she would be. My mother is in the moderate to severe stage of Alzheimer's.

I believe with great resolve, understanding, and a conviction that continues to strengthen that there is more to every Alzheimer's patient that WE can ever imagine. It is our unwillingness to discover the "more there" that gets in the way of accomplishment and contentment.

My soon to be 95 year old mother is playing Bingo as I write this. She can still get most of the numbers, maybe all of them. She no longer has a clue when she has bingo when they play any game that is different from a straight line bingo. This is not a deterrent. Her friends will lend her their brain when necessary. BINGO.

If my mother wins at Bingo tonight she will be delighted. But no one will be happier than me.

You need to make a couple of decisions. Don't be reluctant or afraid. I'm willing to bet that you will end up happier, and so will she.

I should mention that my mother was and is a very strong willed women. She fended for herself for 12 years after the death of my father. She did it without a glitch. As a result, she believes to this day that she doesn't need anyone, any help, and that she is capable of doing everything and anything. I once thought that was a bad thing. However, I finally realized I could use that determination to an advantage, and we have.

Readers are invited to comment in the Add New Comment section down below the end of this article.

The Alzheimer's Action Plan

300 Tips for Making Life Easier

Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

LIFESTYLE CHANGES AND MUSIC AS ALZHEIMER’S THERAPY?

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:52:00 PDT

Can either exercise, or healthy diet, or mental activities, or socialization, or music

be used as a therapy to treat people living with Alzheimer’s?

By Wantland J. Smith
Alzheimer's Reading Room

This Man Decided to Fight Alzheimer's
-- Jay Smith

I think each of these “lifestyle” strategies should be adopted as an urgent priority as a matter of public health and national survival. But, even if the potential benefits were to become widely accepted, I acknowledge that their effectiveness will ultimately depend upon the extent of people’s willingness to commit to doing the therapy persistently.

But wait a minute! No one is promoting using these lifestyle prevention strategies as a treatment regimen. Nonetheless, I am beginning to, at least for myself, after living with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s for a long time – six years since my diagnosis of “early Alzheimer’s disease,” and more than a dozen years since the first symptoms became worrisome enough that I sought a neurological workup to try to find out what was causing them.

Read the complete article.

By Topic

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's Disease (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?

Communicating in Alzheimer's World

Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

What is Dementia?

How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You

Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease

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Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Advice and Insight (20 articles)

Alzheimer's Disease Statistics

Alzheimer's Disease and Driving

Alzheimer's Caregiving Dealing with Behavior

The Plan to End Alzheimer's Disease by 2020 (Podcast)

Original content Wantland J. Smith, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's Disease Tip Communication and Socialization

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:45:11 PDT

My mother is the same person I always knew. She is not a different person. Her brain is sick. She is still ticking and she is capable of enjoying most of the things she was doing before Alzheimer's disease....

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Front Row

For us, communication and socialization go hand in hand. I am not using the clinical definition of socialization here. Instead, I am describing a continuing process that leads to the establishment of norms of behavior and communication in the Alzheimer's disease environment.

I think most Alzheimer's caregivers understand that the Alzheimer's patient can benefit from being in social settings and engaging in communication. Sadly, the exact opposite sometimes occurs as the patient and caregiver fall into the black hole of Alzheimer's disease.

Read Alzheimer's Disease Tip Communication and Socialization

Alzheimer’s Genes, The Four Known Alzheimer’s Genes

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:29:00 PDT

"Every new Alzheimer’s gene defect we find provides new clues regarding the cause of the disease, and what we need to do to stop the disease..."

Ultimately, the full list of Alzheimer’s genes emerging from the family-based genetic studies of the Alzheimer’s Genome Project and the population based studies of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project are getting us closer and closer to someday being able to eradicate Alzheimer’s disease using a strategy of early prediction and early intervention.
-- Dr. Rudolph Tanzi

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Dotty Sings Who's Sorry Now To Parrots

AlzheimersFrontRow@gmail.com — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:52:54 PDT

Dotty is 94 and has Alzheimer's. Been touched by Alzheimer's?

Amplify’d from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com

A distant relative of

Harvey and Petey

Dotty stuns me with a new song I never heard her sing before...

Here is the scenario.

I am at the computer working away. Dotty is sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. Not a sound. Out of the clear blue sky she starts singing, Who's Sorry Now. In the seven plus years I have been here I have never heard here sing this song.

I grab the telephone and hit the speed dial for CinchCast. This is who I use for my podcasts.

I run up to the kitchen in time to capture some of her singing and the conversation with the parrots.

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