Thursday, May 29, 2014
Choosing Safe Shoes
Just as you check your car tires, it's important to check the treads of
the shoes worn by a person with dementia. As the brain has difficulty
coordinating movement, you'll probably notice more of a hesitant
shuffle. The safest shoes have rough, not smooth, soles that get
better traction on surfaces such as linoleum. Ask a shoe repair shop to
add traction strips to smooth-soled favorites. Just be careful not to
err in the direction of heavy lug soles as seen on certain hiking boots
or walking shoes. Treads that are too big and deep get caught on things
and can cause falls.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Personal Care Assistants
What Personal Care Assistants Do and How They Help
In addition to providing companion care, personal care assistants can help with the following:
- Light housekeeping
- Grocery shopping
- Preparing meals
- Grooming, including bathing and dressing.
http://www.caring.com/articles/caregivers-guide-to-personal-care-assistants
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Easy Ways to Boost Your Memory
5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Memory
1. Take the stairs
Exercise benefits your head as much as the rest of your body, a growing number of studies indicate. Overall cardiorespiratory fitness also lowers the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems -- all known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
2. Change your wallpaper
When doing routine things, the brain runs on autopilot. Novelty, on the other hand, literally fires up the brain as new data creates and works new neural pathways.
3. Steal some zzz's by daylight
It's while you're sleeping that your brain sorts, consolidates, and stores memories accumulated during the day -- that's why eight hours at night is so valuable. But a mere six-minute nap is as valuable as a full night's sleep to short-term recall, according to German research. And a 90-minute nap has been shown to speed up the process that helps the brain consolidate long-term memories.
4. Take a mental "photograph"
Memories aren't just stored in one spot in the brain; bits of data are processed and stored in different areas. To help make the memory of an incident last, take a "snapshot" of it while you're in the moment, using all your senses. Look around and think about what you see. Notice colors and textures. What do you smell? If you're eating or drinking (or kissing), what's the taste?
5. Eat less
After only 12 weeks, healthy volunteers (average age 60) who reduced their daily calories by 30 percent scored 20 percent better on memory tests, University of Munster (Germany) researchers have reported. The possible reason: decreased levels of insulin, created when the body processes food, and of the inflammation-associated molecule C-reactive protein. Both factors are linked to improved memory function.
1. Take the stairs
Exercise benefits your head as much as the rest of your body, a growing number of studies indicate. Overall cardiorespiratory fitness also lowers the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems -- all known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
2. Change your wallpaper
When doing routine things, the brain runs on autopilot. Novelty, on the other hand, literally fires up the brain as new data creates and works new neural pathways.
3. Steal some zzz's by daylight
It's while you're sleeping that your brain sorts, consolidates, and stores memories accumulated during the day -- that's why eight hours at night is so valuable. But a mere six-minute nap is as valuable as a full night's sleep to short-term recall, according to German research. And a 90-minute nap has been shown to speed up the process that helps the brain consolidate long-term memories.
4. Take a mental "photograph"
Memories aren't just stored in one spot in the brain; bits of data are processed and stored in different areas. To help make the memory of an incident last, take a "snapshot" of it while you're in the moment, using all your senses. Look around and think about what you see. Notice colors and textures. What do you smell? If you're eating or drinking (or kissing), what's the taste?
5. Eat less
After only 12 weeks, healthy volunteers (average age 60) who reduced their daily calories by 30 percent scored 20 percent better on memory tests, University of Munster (Germany) researchers have reported. The possible reason: decreased levels of insulin, created when the body processes food, and of the inflammation-associated molecule C-reactive protein. Both factors are linked to improved memory function.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Alzheimer's Cost to the Nation
Alzheimer's
disease is the most expensive condition in the nation. In 2014, the
direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer's
will total an estimated $214 billion, including $150 billion in costs to
Medicare and Medicaid. Despite these staggering figures, Alzheimer's
will cost an estimated $1.2 trillion (in today's dollars) in 2050.
According to the latest facts and figures by the Alzheimer's
Association.
Dealing with "I want to leave"
"Let's go." "I'm ready to leave." Few words
are more dispiriting to hear when you've just arrived at an outing for
you or your loved one's benefit. What's behind them? Sometimes it's
feeling uncomfortable about a new place
or feeling intimidated by a lot of people. If so, be pleasant and
reassuring; help him or her find a quiet space and something enjoyable
to eat or drink. But know that dementia also distorts a person's sense
of time. So you may be among familiar, beloved people and still hear, "I
want to go" after five minutes. The person with dementia isn't sure
whether five minutes or five hours have passed. It's futile to argue.
("But we just got here!") Instead, try to stretch out the visit with a
distraction: "Just a few more minutes . . . we're about to hear some
music/look at some pictures/have some coffee." Realize, though, that if
your loved one grows more agitated, the simplest course may be to try
again another day.
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