Locating Caregivers for Person’s with Alzheimer’s Disease

July 31st, 2009 Darlene

“Alzheimer’s disease” is one of the most dreaded words for the elderly. Even though cancer and heart disease are dreaded words too, Alzheimer’s is not considered fatal, as the former are. With proper care, a person with Alzheimer’s disease can live a long time. It certainly can be a challenge, though.

A person with Alzheimer’s disease needs to be taken care of all the time simply because the memory loss will often render the patient incapable of thinking and reasoning. The simplest of tasks, like brushing teeth and even using a spoon and fork are forgotten.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive and degenerative disease that affects the brain often leading to massive memory loss, not only in terms of one’s personal memories, but also one’s every day routines that are taken for granted. Patients will forget everything. Some people will also find it hard to learn new things and may even lose their language abilities. They will have difficulties in their speech and in their writing.

Because of this, caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease can be extremely challenging. It is actually like caring for a newborn baby, but while a baby will slowly learn to function independently, patients with Alzheimer’s will lose what they have learned and will slowly become more and more dependent on their caregivers. Thus, it is important, even vital, to find a caregiver that is both professionally-capable and caring as they will determine the progress that the patient will have as well as their over all condition and behavior.

Here are some tips in finding a good caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient.

  • Choose a professional

It is good to look for a person that is already overly experienced in caring for people with Alzheimer’s. Not only will their experience come in handy when it comes to dealing with the patient’s medicines and medical routines, they will also be more patient because of prior knowledge.

Unfortunately, professionals tend to be pricey. Private nurses and caregivers are expensive enough as it is without adding the cost of a specialization. If you just cannot afford to hire someone with adequate experience, try one who has worked with the elderly and then help educate them about the basics of the disease.

  • Choose someone you know

There are many advantages to hiring someone you know, who you’ve seen working with patients in the past. Alzheimer’s patients will have a lot of quirks and odd behaviors that can be extremely irritating and difficult to deal with. Thus, it is important that you choose someone that you know will have a lot of patience and kindness.

If a member or members of the family can make the time to care for the patient, that is ideal. If not, you can ask for recommendations from people that you know. Chances are they know someone who can, and maybe has taken care of a patient with Alzheimer’s.

  • Choose someone strong

It is also important that you choose someone who can handle the often back breaking tasks that come with caring for an Alzheimer’s patient, although this shouldn’t be major issue. Remember that, because the patient is fully-dependent on the person, they will sometimes need to carry them or support them when walking.

I hope these few hints may help in your search for a kind, knowledable professional to assist you in caring for your loved one.

Darlene@learnaboutalzheimers.info

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Forms of Dementia

July 1st, 2009 Darlene

Although Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, there are other types of mentaly debilitating diseases that followunder the dementia heading. Here are just a few.

  • Vascular or multi-infarct dementia

This type of dementia is similar to Alzheimer’s disease and runs a close second in terms of how often it strikes when compared to Alzheimer’sdisease. Symptoms are the common loss of memory, difficulty following instructions, as well as confusion. Although it causes a steady decline in cognitive abilities, it usually occurs in “stages or steps” instead of the charactaristic routine of Alzheimer’s disease.This is caused in part by small strokes which block smaller arteries, too small to cause major symptoms, but their combined effect is noticeable over a period of time. Low blood flow to parts of the brain is the culprit in this case.

  • Mixed Dementia

Certain experts believe that the combination of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is very common, and refer to it as mixed dementia.

  • Injury to the brain

Actual physical injury to the brain accounts for another form of dementia which includes symptoms such as memory loss and/or behavioral changes.

  • Frontotemporal dementia (Pick’s disease)

Although rare, when this type of dementia occurs, it is diffucult at times to tell the difference between it and Alzheimer’s. Symptoms start beforememory loss, such as disorientation and personality changes.

  • Parkinson’s disease

This debilitating disease starts by affecting muscle control, causing stiffness, impaired speech and tremors, with dementia occuring in later stages.

  • Dementia with Lewy bodies

This type of dementia is characterized by wide variations in alertness and attention, with victims experiencing muscle rigidity as well as tremors usually found in Parkinson’s disease sufferers.

  • Huntington’s disease

This type of dementia is inherited, causing progressive odd movements of the legs, facial muscles and arms. There is a marked change in thepersonality of the victim as well as the inability to think coherantly.

  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

This type of dementia is very rare. It has been identified as the disorder believed to be the result of eating “mad cow disease” infected meat. It destroys coordination and memory, often rapidly. It also makes marked changes in the victims behavior.

  • Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)

This type of dementia is caused by a buildup of fluid in the brain. Surgery is sometimes used to drain the fluid off the brain. NPH victims show signs of inability to control urine, difficulty walking, and memory loss. Doctors are unable to determine the cause of most cases.

One thing to consider when faced with the task of determining a loved ones cause of dementia is that doctors will label an individual as afflicted with MCI (mild cognitive impairment) if they are exhibiting signs of memory loss or loss of cognitive skills. MCI does not always lead toAlzheimer’s disease, but there is an increased occurence of this happening when diagnosed with MCI.

As you can see, there are many different variations of dementia, all destructive to the victim’s brain, but not all are cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

The best defense is knowledge and a great medical team.

Darlene

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Basic Information About Alzheimer’s

June 30th, 2009 Darlene

 

The numbers are in and it is frightning…one out of ten people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, in a recent statistic polls, 5.3 million Americans suffer one way or the other from this dreaded progressive disease.

Out of that 5.3 million Americans, 200,000 are ages 30-50.

Below is some information that you will find useful about this disease.

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative problem characterized by memory loss as well as loss in thinking skills. It is actually part of a constellation of memory and brain problems called dementia. It can lead to behavioral changes, loss of language skills, disorientation, confusion and increasing dependency. Most experts believe that Alzheimer’s is caused by a problem in the genetic make-up and is often associated with old age.

What are the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?

In the beginning stages, it is not easy to determine that Alzheimer’s is the culprit simply because the onset of the disease will often manifest in symptoms often associated with forgetfulness due to aging. What separates this problem though is the fact that people with Alzheimer’s will eventually even forget normal routines and simple tasks. For instance, patients with Alzheimer’s can forget how to hold a spoon and fork while others will forget how to brush their teeth and take a bath. Believe it or not, some medical experts even say that some may even forget how to breathe. It can start with ordinary forgetting of names and faces until it progresses to something major that can renderthe person totally incapacitated.

Who are affected by Alzheimer’s disease?
 
Although there are cases of Alzheimer’s that affected people in their 30s, most patients are over the age of 65 and a vast majority is over the age of 85. In addition to old age, experts believe that a family history of the same problem or of dementia may predispose someone to the disease. This is because experts pinpoint a defect in the genetic make up of the person who has Alzheimer’s disease.

People who are not regularly pursueing mental activities or employment that do not involve mental strains have a higher risk of developing the disease compared to people who often stretch their mental muscles either through work or play. In fact, one of the ways to prevent the onset of dementia is to exercise the brain all the time especially for older individuals. Even when one is already retired from work, the elderly should not forget to use their minds by engaging in mental pursuits such as reading, doing crossword puzzles and even playing board games.

How do you diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease?

As mentioned earlier, it is extremely difficult for a person to differentiate an ordinary case of forgetfulness and dementia at the beginning of the disease. Some of the symptoms, such as slow mental processing and forgetfulness may be attributed to other problems such as thyroid gland problems, reactions to medications that are being taken, and even just a normal aging process. To really ensure that the problem is indeed Alzheimer’s, doctors rule out other possibilities and conduct series of tests. These may include brain imaging, neurilogical tests, physical exams and anything else the doctor feels will help determine if Alzheimer’s is the culprit.

Hopefully this article will help answer some questions you may have had.

Darlene

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10 Signs That it May Be Alzheimer’s Disease

June 30th, 2009 Darlene

Normal memory loss due to aging does not affect or disrupt daily life. It may prove to be annoying, but should not have the abilityto make everyday life a struggle. The Alzheimer’s Association has developed a checklist to help differentiate between normal age-related memory changes and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

1. Loss of Memory

Recently learned information that is quickly forgotten is one of the most common early signs of dememtia. Ongoing forgetfulness andinability to retrieve the same information later is a sign of a problem in the brain. Normal forgetfulness would include forgetting things like appointmentsor names on occasion.

2. Familiar tasks are difficult

The onset of dementia often causes the victim to have difficulty planning or completing everyday tasks. They may have forgotten thesteps involved in making a phone call or creating a meal. Occassionally forgetting what you were going to say or why you came into a room are considered normal age-related memory loss.

3. Inability to remember basic language

Forgetting simple words or substituting unusual words for something that is a daily routine item or task is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease.For example, forgettin what the name of a hairbrush is, and instead asking for “that thing for my hair”.

Occasionally having problems finding the right word is considered normal.

4.  Locational disorientation

Gettin lost in their own neighborhood is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. It also includes forgetting how they got there or where they are…even howto get home.

Forgetting where you are going or what day of the week on occasion is considered normal.

5. Decreased or poor judgement

Some signs include dressing inappropriately for the weather, giving away large sums of money, or actions considered not good judgement calls.Normal forgetfullness might be making a questionable decision on occasion.

6. Reduction in abstract thinking ability

Signs include not being able to perform complex mental tasks, such as addition or subtraction, or even how numbers are used.

Normal age-related loss of memory might be finding it a challenge to balance a checkbook.

7. Misplacing items

Although we all misplace things, people with Alzheimer’s disease might put an iron in the oven, hairbrush in the refrigerator or any number of things.

Normal would be considered temporarily losing one’s car keys or wallet.

8.Behaviour or mood fluctuations

Rapid mood swings, such as from calm to angry, for no apparent reason, is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Occasional sadness or moodiness is considered normal.

9. Dramatic changes is personality

Dementia changes someone to the point that they might become fearful, suspicious, confused or dependent on a family member.

Normally, personalities change with age, although not that dramatically.

10. Lackluster attitude about life

Passivity, apathy, excessive sleeping, lack of desire to do usual activities…these are all signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Normal age-related behaviour might be the occasional feelings of weariness regarding work or social obligations.

In conclusion, being alert and aware of these signs can give you the advantage if your loved one is becoming afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Knowing what to look for and what steps to take next will certainly help.

Darlene

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