It’s fun to see how excited the youngsters become when it’s Book Fair Time at school.  Yesterday I was substitute teaching and took children to the area in the library where the books were displayed.

I didn’t see any books relating to Alzheimer’s or forgetfulness (like The Graduation of Jake Moon, for instance) but I didn’t have time (I was supervising children) to look through all the books.  However, often the picture books your youngsters bring home will entertain your Alzheimer’s family member.

• Books that remind them of childhood
• Books about familiar places
• Books about daily activities
• Books with colorful pictures
• Books with simple pictures

(Amazon image; click here for details)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Does Your Alzheimer’s Patient Enjoy Children’s Books?

Caring for a family member afflicted with Alzheimer’s can be very stressful and wearing on the caregiver.  However, some feel very guilty when they seek help. They think it’s their duty to care for a parent or spouse…on their own, without help from other family members or the outside world.

No one is fully prepared for these unexpected situations in their life. Also, for each person it is different…how they react, how the Alzheimer’s patient reacts, the caregiver’s capabilities and other responsibilities, the degree of care the patient needs.

However, if:

*You find you’re always tired
*You feel you have no time of space for yourself
*You find family and friends having less or no time to help
*You or others in your household have serious medical conditions
*You are becoming resentful with what you have to do
*You feel at a loss as far as knowing what to do

Then seek out some of the resources in your community and online to help you cope and find solutions. Sometimes you find more resources in some areas than others. However, don’t feel guilty about seeking help and saying, “I can’t do everything!”

Imperative, too, is taking care of yourself.

How have you found help in caring for the Alzheimer’s patient in your family?

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Taking the Guilt Out of Seeking Caregiver Help

F0r caregivers and those caught midst caregiving tasks and family obligations, this book compiled by Darby Puglienelli and her mother Barbara McVicker offers advice, encouragement and comfort.  Stuck in the Middle:Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents offers encouragement.

McVicker conducted more than 200 interviews with caregivers and health care professionals to compile a book she says is dedicated to the “sandwich generation” – caregivers who are caught between caring for their children and their aging parents. [Press release in WisBusiness.com]

What books have your found helpful and encouraging as a caregiver?

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

“Stuck in the Middle” – New Book About Alzheimer’s & Caregiving

  Falls are the leading cause of death by accidental injury among people who are older than 65, according to an article, Home visits can help keep elders on their feet, in the DailyPress.com, by Fredrick Kunkle.  Here we learn some of the statistics about falls and the elderly and how home aides can educate about keeping homes safer.   

 Falling is of great concern as one ages and becomes more unsteady on the feet.  The elderly also aren’t so resilient if they do fall. 

My aunt’s family moved her to a nursing home when she became too unsteady to stay alone when the family was away during the day at school or at work.  She also would walk around at night and had fallen once.

My mom, who had Alzheimer’s, fell at the nursing home  She was simply turning around as she got out of bed.  Her feet apparently tangled or “got in the way of each other.”  With her fragile bones, at age 83, she broke her hip.  Although many falls seem to lead to death, Mother lived 8 more years after her fall. 

My grandfather, was in his 70s when he fell and broke his hip.  That occurred when I was a child and treatment was to stay in bed at home until the hip healed.  Grandpa developed pneumonia and died before he got well.

Although we can’t eliminate entirely the incidence of falling, there are measures we can take to make our homes and a patient’s room safer, as the home nurse demonstrates in the above article.

Also, you may want to refer to The Complete Guide to Alzheimer’s-Proofing Your Home at The Alzheimer’s Store. 

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Preventing Falls in the Elderly & Alzheimer’s Patients