CareGiver

Undetected Urinary Tract Infection

2021-06-25T10:39:00.000-04:00

When a urinary tract infection goes undetected in an Alzheimer's patient they can become mean, delusional, dull, disoriented or worse.

Undetected UTIs are common in Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

Bing recommends

Urinary Tract Infection, You Can Learn From My Experience

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Does anesthesia cause memory loss?

2014-08-20T11:05:00.000-04:00

A reader searching Google using the following keywords

does anesthesia cause memory loss

was directed to this article in the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

Does anesthesia increase the odds of developing dementia later in life?

Does anesthesia increase the odds of developing dementia later in life? Does anesthesia hasten memory loss in persons already living with Alzheimer's and dementia?

Does Anesthesia Cause Dementia or Memory Loss in the Elderly?

Bob De Marco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Bing Search - How do you correctly brush a patients teeth

2014-03-19T09:28:00.003-04:00

A reader searched Bing using the following keywords

how do you correctly brush a patients teeth

They then clicked on the this headline

How to Get An Alzheimer's Patient to Brush Their Teeth

to get the information they were seeking.

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Home base care qualities of a good caregiver

2014-03-13T14:03:00.003-04:00

The first question is always, how would I want to be treated and taken care of under these circumstances?

The following Bing keyword search

home base care qualities of a good care giver

lead to this article in the

Alzheimer's Reading Room

5 Qualities of Caregiving Excellence

Action verbs to describe alzheimer's

2014-03-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

People suffering from semantic dementia – a type of frontotemporal dementia and the second most common dementia in people under 65 – experience a severe loss of word and conceptual knowledge.

A reader searched using the following Google keywords

The number one ranked article in the search came from the

Alzheimer's Reading Room

Words That Describe Feelings Get Lost in Dementia

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Adapting Activities for People with Alzheimer's disease

2014-03-04T13:05:00.001-05:00

Doing things we enjoy gives us pleasure and adds meaning to our lives.

People with AD need to be active and do things they enjoy.

However, don't expect too much. It's not easy for them to plan their days and do different tasks.

Read this excellent advice from the National Institute of Health (NIH) here.

Caring for a Person with Alzheimer's Disease

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Google keywords - why does my elderly mother keep falling

2014-03-03T11:34:00.000-05:00

Poor balance may indicate memory decline, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other causes that must be ruled out by a doctor.

A search of Google using the following keywords

- why does my elderly mother keep falling -

lead to this article in the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

Problems with Balance, Walking, Falling Can Be an Early Sign of Dementia

Red Plates in Dementia

2014-02-26T10:49:00.002-05:00

One of the biggest problems Alzheimer's care partners face is how to get a person living with dementia to eat more food.

The level of angst associated with this problem is enormous. And, this problem is very common.

As Alzheimer's or related dementia progress getting a patient to eat a nutritious meal, or to eat enough, is a very difficult task.

I faced this problem myself.

The following article and related links from the Alzheimer's Reading Room might help you solve this problem.

3 Ways to Get an Alzheimer's Patient to Eat More Food

Readers were lead to this article after searching Bing using these keywords - Red Pates in Dementia.

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Why would you take namenda and aricept together

2014-02-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

A reader searching Bing asked the following question - why would you take namenda and aricept together?

Bing suggested the following article ranked in the number one spot.

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

"After reading a research study indicating that the combination of Aricept and Namenda might help slow the rate of decline in Alzheimer's patients, I immediately scheduled an appointment with our doctor to discuss this information.

Our doctor was familiar with the research, and he agree to put my mother on Namenda in a combination with Aricept.

It is my belief that the combination of Aricept and Namenda helped slow the progression of Alzheimer's in my mother.

We were fortunate, and my mother did not suffer any side effects as the result of the addition of Namenda in her drug regimen.

If you try this combination therapy you have to be patient and wait about 4-6 weeks before decided whether or not you are seeing the benefits."

What Do You Do When an Alzheimer's Patient Refuses to Take Their Medication

2014-02-18T11:04:00.000-05:00

One of the problems that Alzheimer's care partners often face is the refusal of the person living with Alzheimer's to take their medications.

This problem is very common.

Bob DeMarco
+Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's care partners often become frustrated when the person living with dementia refuses. This in turn leads the patient to become harder to deal with.

One of the most common mistakes caregivers make is to try and convince the patient to take the meds by using lots of words, and repeatedly explaining why they should take the medicine.

In fact it is better to use the most simple approach.

First, sit down and make eye contact with the person.

Second, smile before you get started, and wait for a return smile.

They put the medication in your hand, and hold it out without saying a word. This is a nonverbal approach that can work very well if you try it for a while, and be patient.

Refuse the temptation to speak. Remain quite, and just hold the pill out in your hand in front of them.

This really worked well with my mother. I will admit she often balked at first. But, I just held the pill out and kept my mouth shut.

It might seem to you like this approach takes a long time. 15-30 seconds can seem like an eternity in this scenario.

Here are two article that I would recommend for your reading.

How to Get an Alzheimer's Patient To Take Their Medication

Alzheimer's Communication Tip, No More Blah Blah Blah

Please feel free to share this information wtih family, friends, and relatives. You might also share this in Alzheimer's or dementia support groups.

Pneumonia Alzheimer's

2014-02-06T15:07:00.002-05:00

A reader searched Ask while looking for information on Alzheimer's using these keywords,

Pneumonia Alzheimer's

Ask suggest this article from the

Alzheimer's Reading Room

How Do Alzheimer's Patients Die?

To learn more about Alzheimers and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room Knowledge Base

Forms of Dementia That Affect Communication

2014-02-04T10:44:00.003-05:00

Dementia not only includes loss of memory, it also affects cognitive abilities of the brain like the ability to communicate.

A search of TalkTalk for the keywords

forms of dementia that affect communication

returned the following result from the

Alzheimer's Reading Room

Dementia and Eight Types of Dementia

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

Thought Patterns in Developing Azheimers

2014-01-29T10:53:00.002-05:00

Patterns. All Alzheimer's patients evidence patterns of behavior. Some of the patterns are simple, some are more complex.

A reader entered the following keywords into Bing search

thought patterns in developing alzheimers

Bing then recommended this article from the

Alzheimer's Reading Room

Changing Patterns of Behavior In Alzheimer's Patients

It is not unusual for Alzheimer's Patients to engage in repetitive patterns of behavior. Many of these patterns are disconcerting. How do you change these patterns?

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Caring for the Caregiver: This Year I’m Taking Care of Me

2014-01-22T08:54:00.000-05:00

It seems that Mom has become more difficult this year. Not really sicker, but more needy, more clingy, and worst of all, more unkind.

Meanwhile, hubby has had a back injury and almost needed surgery. But he didn’t pass the cardiac clearance, so we are re-thinking that. But for the past several months, he’s been in pain. And you know men in pain.

So I reached the end of the year pretty much at the end of me.

Continue reading in Sometimes I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna

Caring for the Caregiver: This Year I’m Taking Care of Me

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's and Bed Wetting

2014-01-06T08:38:00.002-05:00

This keyword search on Yahoo, Alzheimer's and bed wetting, lead to the following article.

Bed Wetting, What Can I Do, The Answer

If you find the article useful consider sharing it with other Alzheimer's caregivers via message boards, social media, or in support groups.

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Tracking Technology for People with Memory Loss

2013-12-26T13:06:00.003-05:00

There are new technologies available to help people with memory loss who wander. The devices are part of a growing effort to help caregivers and their families.

Read it instead

Tracking Technology Offers Help for People with Memory Loss

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Merry Christmas Everyone

2013-12-25T13:54:00.003-05:00

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Family Denial of Alzheimer's

2013-12-19T11:24:00.003-05:00

It’s human to deny what we find unpleasant or frightening.

Denial:

I’ve always looked to Dad for strength and guidance. I don’t know how I can handle things without him. The thought that I have to take care of him as well as myself is too terrifying for words.
He’s the parent, I’m the child. It’s never been any other way and I don’t know how to change it.
If I ignore it, it will just go away.
He had a really good day today; maybe it’s not really as bad as I though. I’ll just wait until his behavior and memory get worse.
He’s just having a bad day. He’ll be better tomorrow.
If I admit that he has dementia then that means that I’ll probably get it too and I can’t face that.
He made me promise that I would never put him in a nursing home. That’s where I’ll have to put him if he has Alzheimer’s, so I won’t admit that he has it.

In response to the keyword search

family denial of alzheimer's

Google suggested you read the following article

Denial is Dangerous

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

Qualities to Be a Caregiver to the Elderly

2013-12-12T19:35:00.001-05:00

In response to the keyword search Qualities to Be a Caregiver to the Elderly, Bing search recommended

5 Qualities of Caregiving Excellence

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's and Smell

2013-12-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

“Deficits in odor detection and discrimination are among the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting that the sense of smell can potentially serve as a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for early diagnosis of the disease."

The research on the inability of a person living with Alzheimer's to smell first caught my attention in 2004. At that time, I was trying to figure our what was wrong with my mother, Dorothy.

We did not have a diagnosis when I first read about the inability to smell odors as a possible sign of Alzheimer's disease.

As you can imagine, I immediately decided to give Dotty a smell test. Dotty really couldn't smell anything, even when I put something right under her nose.

For me this finding and realization was disconcerting . I was already at the point where I was starting to accept that Dotty was suffering from dementia even though we did not yet have a formal diagnosis.

As I am typing this, I am reliving those feelings. Nobody wants to believe or accept that a person they love is suffering from Alzheimer's.

It is not easy to accept, and it is horrifying.

Bing suggested this article for reading

Early Alzheimer's Symptom the Inability to Smell Odors

+Bob DeMarco +Dementia Reading Room +AlzheimersReadingRoom

Is There Life After Caregiving, and If So What is it Like?

2013-12-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

I found myself thinking about the aftermath of caregiving, and what Suzy’s life would be like in the months and years ahead.

Judith Graham is one of my favorite writers and journalist.

To read this thought provoking article go to

The New Old Age

After the Caregiving Ends

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Wandering Statistics

2013-12-06T10:47:00.001-05:00

How many people living with dementia wander each day? How many are found? How many die?

How many Alzheimer's or dementia patients wander each year?

Here are some educated guesstimates --

around 125,000 in a year.

In response the keyword search

Wandering Statistics

Bing search recommended the following article

Sobering Statistics about Alzheimer's Wandering

+Bob DeMarco , +Alzheimer's Reading Room

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Aricept Prices

2013-12-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

Donepezil Aricept Price Falls by 90 Percent

To learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room Knowledge Base

Oral Hygiene in the Elderly with a Test

2013-12-02T16:00:00.006-05:00

Poor oral health can lead to pneumonia and cardiovascular disease as well as periodontal disease, even though these illnesses are not usually associated with the mouth.

Penn State researchers to help brush-up oral hygiene in nursing homes

Nurses who care for patients with dementia now have a tailored approach to dental hygiene for their charges, thanks to a pilot study by a team of nurses.

"Poor oral health can lead to pneumonia and cardiovascular disease as well as periodontal disease," said Rita A. Jablonski, even though these illnesses are not usually associated with the mouth.

According to Jablonski, assistant professor of nursing, Penn State, persons with dementia resist care when they feel threatened. In general, these patients cannot care for themselves and need help.

Jablonski and her team introduced an oral hygiene approach called Managing Oral Hygiene Using Threat Reduction (MOUTh) specifically for dementia patients. Many of their strategies focus on making the patient feel more comfortable before and while care is provided, the researchers report in the current issue of Special Care in Dentistry.

"We have come up with 15 strategies -- techniques to help reduce threat perception," said Jablonski. These strategies include approaching patients at eye level if they are seated, smiling while interacting, pantomiming, and guiding patients to perform their own care by placing a hand over the patient's hand and leading.

People with dementia are often no longer able to distinguish low or nonthreatening situations from highly threatening situations. This happens when the parts of the brain that control threat perception -- particularly the fight, flight or freeze responses -- begin to deteriorate. The amygdala is the part of the brain that houses the fear response.

The hippocampus and cerebral cortex receive and send messages to the amygdala, telling it how to react.

"Think of the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and amygdala as being in the woods," said Jablonski. "In a person with dementia, the path in the woods is blocked with tumbleweeds and the message from the cortex and hippocampus can't get to the amygdala." In turn, patients with dementia often react to something as intimate as a nurse brushing their teeth as a perceived threat.

In the past 30 years the number of nursing-home residents who still have their own teeth has risen significantly. Many of these people need assistance with their dental hygiene, as well as with other hygiene.

Jablonski and her team conducted a pilot study with seven people who had either moderate or severe cases of dementia. The researchers used the MOUTh technique on the subjects for two weeks, recording the state of the patients' mouths and how the patients reacted throughout the study.

At the beginning of the study all seven subjects had poor oral health, as determined by the Oral Health Assessment Tool. Eight categories concerning oral health are scored between zero and two. The lower the score the healthier the mouth. The average score for the subjects at the start of the study was 7.29. By the end of the study the average score was 1.00.

"To my knowledge, we are the only nurses in the country who are looking at ways to improve the mouth care of persons with dementia, especially those who fight and bite during mouth care," said Jablonski. "Our approach is unique because we frame resistive behavior as a reaction to a perceived threat."

Other researchers on the project were Ann Kolanowski, Elouise Ross Eberly Professor; Mia Gabello and Alexandra Brock, graduate students, all in the School of Nursing, Penn State; Barbara Therrien, associate professor in nursing, University of Michigan; and Ellen K. Mahoney, associate professor in nursing, Boston College.

The Brookdale Leadership in Aging Foundation supported this pilot study. Jablonski is the 2009-11 Brookdale Leadership in Aging Fellow. The National Institutes of Health has awarded Jablonski a $1.4 million, four-year grant to continue this research (http://live.psu.edu/story/53237).

Original content the Alzheimer's Reading Room

+Bob DeMarco , +Alzheimer's Reading Room

Everything in Life Has a Purpose

2013-12-02T09:00:00.000-05:00