Alzheimer Activities

Alzheimer Activities

Alzheimer activities are important not just for the person with Alzheimer's disease but also for you who is certainly undergoing a heart wrenching experience - that of watching someone you love slip away. Below are some new ways of doing everyday activities for Alzheimer's patients:

Getting Dressed

One of the best ways to express your inner self is through your clothing. Have you noticed how you feel infinitely better if you know that you look good in your clothes? Well, the same goes for people affected by Alzheimer's disease.

So when it comes to Alzheimer activities, particularly dressing, it is important to think about what the person likes or dislikes. As such, dressing as one of the many Alzheimer activities should not be rushed. Let the person decide what he wants to wear. Now, sometimes the person may want to wear the same outfit over and over. If this happens, try getting more than one outfit or, if that does not work, get ones that are similar.

Simple clothing is preferable. Get shirts that are larger in size and button up in front. Avoid pullover tops as much as possible as it would be hard trying to put them on or take them off.

Don't be surprised if the person wants to wear lots of clothes even though the day is too warm for layers. If they get too hot, they will remove some of the items.

Eating Meals

One of the problems that you will often encounter in people with Alzheimer's disease has something to do with eating. As the disease progresses, their appetites may change. Weight loss, overeating, and trouble with eating may occur. The best way to handle eating as one of the many Alzheimer diseases is to be flexible.

For instance, if the person is losing too much weight, try slipping in snacks between meals. This ought to help increase weight. If the person has no appetite, try a change in mealtime routines. Playing soft music during mealtime has been known to keep people at the dinner table longer. Reducing distraction like TV and serving easily eaten foods may also help with these Alzheimer activities.

Driving

Driving is one of the functions that Alzheimer's disease will inevitably affect as the disease progresses. Safety is going to be the main issue as the person will lose his faculty for driving safely. It is important that you talk out these Alzheimer activities with the doctor, but while you are not ready yet to meet with the doctor, watch out for the following signs:

* Getting lost
* Forgetting to use turn signals
* Confusing the brake pedal and the gas pedal
* Being confused about directions or detours

If any of these signs are present, then it is probably best that you do not let the person drive. Be sensitive when you tell the person this and remember that Alzheimer's disease can also impair reasoning ability. Don't try too hard to convince him or her. A simple statement would do.