Alzheimer Disease: Coping With The Changes

When someone has been diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease there

are many changes that are going to occur in the day to day

experiences of the patient.



Those things that they once did very easily are going to become

difficult to do. There are some things that you, as the caregiver,

can do to make things easier:



• Help your patient to do more difficult tasks when they are

feeling their best. This can include something as complex as

preparing a meal or something as simple as taking a walk.

• Give your patient plenty of time to finish a task without

rushing them.

• Give your patient as many breaks as they need so that they do

things at their own pace.

• Make arrangements for others to lend a hand.

• Take your time when you're communicating with an

Alzheimer patient.

• Speak slowly and repeat statements if you need to. Write

down words if you find that your patient responds better to

written communication.

• Find a quiet place to communicate with your patient rather

than in a place where there are distractions.

• Arrange for other family members to help you transport your

patient from place to place so that you get a break now and then.

• Contact the Alzheimer's Society in the area where you live to

find out what home care services are available.

• Post a schedule for your patient of things that are done each

day such as meal times, exercise times, medications, and bed

time.

• Help your patient to keep a notebook of important information

such as dates, names, places, and other memories.

• If your patient is still able to make phone calls on their own,

post phone numbers in large print next to the phone.

• Keep all medication clearly labeled and in a safe place away

from your patient.

• Mark off the days of the calendar so that you can help your

patient to keep track of time.

• Label photographs for your patient of people, places, and

things that hold a special meaning to them.

• Label simple household items for easy recognition, such as

the contents of cupboards and drawers.

• Organize drawers and closets for your patient so that it is easy

for them to find things.

• If your patient is still quite active, post labels which have

reminders to lock the doors and turn off appliances.

• Arrange for someone to lend a helping hand when it comes to

some of the basic household chores such as buying groceries.