AlzheimersNotes.com
In a previous post, How Do You Feel About Yourself & Your Alzheimer’s Caregiving, I discussed that research shows caregivers do better when they feel good about themselves.  However, sometimes this takes effort when you’re dealing with the frustrations of caregiving and often the differing opinions of family members.
Nevertheless….take time for yourself.

Have your hair styled.  Do something entirely different that makes you feel grand.
Do your nails.  Choose something outrageous!
Go to a movie when someone else will stay with your Alzheimer’s patient for a couple of hours.
Lunch out with a friend.  Select something different from the menu.
Take a walk and notice something …read more

AlzheimersNotes.com
One of the most frustrating aspects of caring for an Alzheimer’s family member or one with some form of dementia is their lack of need for sleep at night and their wandering when you want to sleep.  I found I cat napped and never slept soundly for the months Mother lived with us.
One of my Alzheimer’s Notes readers shares with us and asks for a solution:

I have a friend whose mother also has mild dementia and when she takes her turn at caring for her mother, she is up all night long.
We have had many conversations about what she and …read more

AlzheimersNotes.com
Many Alzheimer’s caregivers are caught in that “Gen Between” situation, with parents they’re responsible for as well as children.  Elizabeth at b5media’s Gen Between blog relates her own and other’s experiences.
Gen Between’s parents may or may not have some form of dementia.  However, their independence is waning, and the need for care by their children increasing.  Then there are children of various ages living in the household of the Gen Betweens.
So when you need inspiration and encouragment, check out what Elizabeth has to share at her Gen Between blog.
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

AlzheimersNotes.com
The big question mark looms  instead of my photo on social media sites. So my granddaughter is helping me correct that.
As she showed me the pictures she’d taken of her quilts, I thought, “That’s it! I’ll have a quilt photo instead of the question mark. This is characteristic of me because I love quilts and quilt history. I write a quilting blog, Quilting and Patchwork”
We selected the picture of a quilt she made as a school project for American Studies, a quilt based upon Civil War designs and history.
We only have it at one location so far, but I may use …read more

AlzheimersNotes.com
 Throughout the week, the Health and Wellness Channel has been focusing on Celebrities and Health. 
Some are Hollywood celebrities; others come from other walks of life.  By going public with their illness, they often make the world more aware and more willing to talk about a health situation that families keep”hidden in the closet.”
You, the caregiver,  and your Alzheimer’s patient also are celebrities and heroes in this challenge with a devastating disease.
Liz and I have written a number of posts on this topic this week.  In case you’ve missed any and would like to check them out, here is a roundup:
Celebrities Health …read more

AlzheimersNotes.com

 As I read Liz’s recent post, Sleep Disturbances in Alzheimer’s Patients & Their Caregivers, I recalled the lack of sleep when I cared for Mother.  An uninterrupted night’s sleep was something I received little of. Mother lost track of day or night, cat napped during the day, so was awake or only napping at night. Her sleep patterns (or non-patterns), always erratic  before Ahzheimer’s, became more so after she developed this disease.
“Mary, one of the most difficult things about caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is you never get a good night’s sleep,” a friend said, when she learned I was moving Mother …read more

I’ve generally found reading relaxing when stressed out from caretaking tasks and other challenges in life.  Perhaps this is because I’ve always enjoyed reading.
Also, my mom would settle beside me with a magazine and often look through that while I lost myself in the novel’s world.  I could read to Mother, too, and this often quieted her.
Some of my favorite novels involve Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Creek Quilter’s series, about a group of quilters with Elm Creek Farm as their commonality.  Although the novels center around one main family and town over a number of years, they don’t have to be read in order.
You might …read more

                            
 It’s difficult enough when you family member has no health problems other than Alzheimer’s  But when there are other issues, such as diabetes, their care becomes more complex for family caregivers and for staff at a nursing home.
Here are 7 tips which hopefully will make diabetes care for Alzheimer’s patients a bit easier:
 1. Learn about diabetic diets, especially if you’re the one preparing the food.
2.  Learn about your family member’s  medical needs.
3.  When your family member resides in a nursing home, make sure you note this on the forms you fill out.  Diabetes should show up in their health records, but …read more