Life-changing
Dementia And Alzheimer’s Care
Maintaining a safe environment for the client, engaging the client in activities that can stimulate the senses and supporting the family through the changing behaviors often seen with dementia, our caregivers can assist you from several hours a week to 10-12 hours a day.
Caring for your loved one
Life-Changing
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can be debilitating and life-changing not only for the client afflicted with the disease, but to those family members involved in that loved one’s care. Our trained caregivers with dementia experience can help you share the responsibility of caring for your loved one.
- Maintain a Safe Environment
- Engage in Activities that Stimulate the Senses
- Support Family through Changing Behaviors
Because we care
We Are
Committed To:
- Educating our caregivers with ongoing dementia training
- Striving to only staff caregivers with dementia experience with dementia clients
- Flexing schedules to accommodate new, increased and different needs
- Understanding some families may have their proverbial “line in the sand” to transition to a facility
- Referring to local facilities to meet your loved one’s needs
Through the many trials and tribulations…your loved one asking the same questions repeatedly; your loved one putting toothpaste in their hair instead of shampoo; putting the ice cream back in the oven instead of the freezer; your anxiety about what the future holds especially if something happens to you first; we want you to know that we are here to help; offer hope and give you peace of mind.
Dementia And Alzheimer’s Tips For
Symptoms And Behaviors
Some things need to be experienced to be fully understood…to name a few – childbirth, marriage, losing a loved one, hearing the words you have cancer AND DEMENTIA. Until you have experienced dementia first-hand, you really don’t know how this disease will affect you, your loved one and family members.
Your loved one is scared, confused, forgetful, lost, anxious, agitated, frustrated and more. Your job is to reassure, redirect and equip them in a world that is slowly slipping away from them.
By learning to control their environment and influence their emotions, it is possible to encourage better behaviors which can result in more peaceful days for both of you.
While the disease is challenging and debilitating, there are many things you can do to not only push through another day but to enjoy time with your loved one with dementia, celebrate small successes and make lasting memories.
Your Next Steps:
Our intention and hope is that you will walk away with more practical strategies and tools for your toolbox caring for your love one with dementia.
Download and Complete the
DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER'S QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SYMPTOMS & BEHAVIORS
IMPAIRED MEMORY – FAMILIARIZATION TO PEOPLE, PLACE OR TIME | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Confused with time or place (doesn’t know what day
of the week it is) | |||||
Forgets appointments, conversations or recent events | |||||
Forgets to take meds or overmedicates | |||||
Forgets to eat or forgets that they just ate a meal
and wants to eat again | |||||
Doesn’t retain information | |||||
Doesn’t remember their date of birth, home address
or phone number | |||||
Misplaces, hides and loses objects
| |||||
Forgets to turn off appliances (leaves the stove
burner on) | |||||
Doesn’t recognize objects and their purpose anymore
(fork, toothbrush, shampoo) | |||||
Gets lost in memories (thinks they are in another time
and place) | |||||
Can’t find anything in the house | |||||
Gets lost in the house (cannot find the bathroom) | |||||
Gets lost driving outside of the neighborhood | |||||
Doesn’t recognize familiar people | |||||
Doesn’t recognize spouse; sometimes can be frightened
of this strange man in the house |
IMPAIRED JUDGMENT, REASONING AND THINKING | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finds it hard to concentrate and takes longer to
do things | |||||
Increasing trouble with planning and organizing
(keeping track of monthly bills) | |||||
Increasing difficulty working with numbers (pay the
grocer, make change, or tip a server) | |||||
Can’t follow directions
| |||||
Struggles to take initiative to start a task; difficulty
recognizing when a task is done | |||||
Stops taking care of themselves (not showering,
wearing soiled clothing, not eating) | |||||
Has trouble dressing (puts on unnecessary layers; clothes
on backwards; inappropriate clothing for the season) | |||||
Lack of ability to make sound decisions and judgment
calls (victim of scam artists or giving the local handyman
their credit card; letting strangers in the house who
could rob or take advantage of them) | |||||
Impaired understanding of the sequence of events in
past or present time (they fell, went to the hospital,
rehab and now home and forgot about it all)
| |||||
Lack of physical/verbal impulse control | |||||
Social inappropriateness – no filter (“She’s really fat!”) | |||||
Puts things in unusual places (ice cream in the oven) |
IMPAIRED COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE DUE TO MEMORY LOSS | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Struggles with word retrieval (finding words) | |||||
Calls things or people by the wrong name | |||||
Uses the same word all the time when they can’t think
of a word | |||||
Starts to use curse words | |||||
Reduced vocabulary; jumbles words; invents
nonsensical words | |||||
Challenged to keep a conversation going, cannot
follow the conversation | |||||
Doesn’t understand the meaning of words | |||||
Withdraws socially from activities, sports, hobbies,
social groups | |||||
Rambles on or sounds like gibberish
| |||||
Reverts to native language | |||||
Difficulty writing | |||||
Forgets material they just read | |||||
Can read but don’t understand the words they’re reading
(reading and comprehension are two different skills) | |||||
Cannot read anymore |
AGGRESSION | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Easily angered | |||||
Combative – physically strikes out – hits, pushes, bites,
kicks | |||||
Verbally abusive | |||||
Reacting catastrophically (overreacting, outbursts) | |||||
Experiencing physical pain and unable to articulate or
identify the cause of discomfort
| |||||
Overstimulated by loud noises and an overactive
environment
| |||||
Develops anxiety, anger and/or stress due to a mirror or
photograph on the wall |
AGITATION/ANXIETY | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Has a general feeling of anxiety, doesn’t really know
what they are worried about | |||||
Easily frustrated and impatient | |||||
Restless and unsettled | |||||
Anxious about upcoming appointments | |||||
Difficulty adapting to new situations and settings | |||||
Makes many phone calls, especially calls late at night |
DEPRESSION | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Napping frequently throughout the day | |||||
Sleeping poorly at night | |||||
Has poor appetite | |||||
Feelings of worthlessness | |||||
Suicidal thoughts, talks about dying |
HALLUCINATIONS | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and/or feeling
something that isn’t real | |||||
Fearful of hallucination | |||||
Not bothered by hallucination | |||||
Misinterpretation of what is seen or heard |
PARANOIA/DELUSIONS | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and/or feeling
something that isn’t real | |||||
Fearful of hallucination | |||||
Not bothered by hallucination | |||||
Misinterpretation of what is seen or heard |
REFUSALS | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Refuses to shower, change clothing | |||||
Refuses to use the toilet | |||||
Refuses to eat | |||||
Refuses to take meds | |||||
Refuses to attend Adult Day Care or allow a caregiver to
come into the house |
REPETITIONS | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Repetitious questions like: “What time is it?”
| |||||
Repetitious questions like: “Where is my mother?” | |||||
Repetitious statements like:
“I want to go home.” | |||||
Repetitious stories (shares the same stories over and
over again) | |||||
Repetitious actions (fiddle; pace; pull at their clothes;
checking their bills over and over; going through their
pocketbook multiple times)
|
SEXUAL INAPPROPRIATENESS | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Makes inappropriate rude comments, gestures, sexual
jokes or unwanted physical sexual advances | |||||
Develops a crush or falls in love with their caregiver
and makes sexual advances | |||||
Handling/fondling genital area | |||||
Undoes clothing – opens zipper and trousers or lifts
their dress |
SHADOWING | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Follows you around the house no matter what you are
doing – cleaning, cooking or even when you want to go
to the bathroom! |
WANDERING | NEVER | RARELY | SOMETIMES | ALWAYS | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wants to go to work | |||||
Wants to “go home” when they are home | |||||
Gets lost running errands | |||||
Tries to leave the house |
Review DEMENTIA TIPS FOR SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Please take the time to scroll to see them all and remember to have fun!
Please know we are here to partner with you on this journey together navigating the different stages of the disease. Our intention and hope is that you will walk away with more practical strategies and tools for your toolbox caring for your loved one.
You are not alone. We are here to offer help, hope and peace of mind during this very difficult time in your life. We pray God will give you the patience, strength and grace needed to help your loved one.
Alzheimer’s Request Poem
Do not ask me to remember; don’t try to make me understand. Let me rest and know you’re with me, kiss my cheek and hold my hand.
I’m confused beyond your concept, I’m sad and sick and lost. All I know is that I need you to be with me at all cost.
Do not lose your patience with me; do not scold or curse or cry. I can’t help the way I’m acting; I can’t be different though I try.
Just remember that I need you, that the best of me is gone. Please don’t fail to stand beside me, love me ’til my life is gone.
To guard and guide by your side…
always care, always there
ALWAYS AN ANGEL® HOMECARE works very closely with our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association putting a team together to participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s each year.
Follow this link to join or sponsor our team!
Alzheimer’s Association Support Groups
Alzheimer’s Association’s Caregiver Support Groups are designed to provide emotional, educational and social support for you the caregiver. They can help you develop methods and skills to solve problems, maintain your own personal, physical and emotional health and optimally, care for the person with dementia. Caregiving doesn’t have to be a journey you do alone. Reach out to a group near you by visiting Alzheimer’s Association of the Hudson Valley.