While we, as parents, take it for granted that we must make safety for our children a priority, we sometimes resent the changes to our homes when a parent comes to live with us.  Perhaps they’re ill, have arthritis, have failing eyesight, are developing Alzheimer’s as my mom did, or simply need the comfort of a family nearby.
However, some of the ways we live may have to be modified to accommodate an older family member.  Often these include some of the same safety guides we use for children. 

Ramps instead of stairs
Gates in front of stairs to prevent nighttime wandering
Lights that …read more

Throughout our lives, we’ll encounter different types of parenting that mark eras. 

Our parents caring for us
Caring for our children
Involvement with our grandchildren
Overseeing our parents’ care or needs
Caring for other family members, of various ages,  who have become our responsibility.

Throughout all of these eras will come various decisions.  We will make them as a child or an adult.  We will come to points where it’s difficult to know what to do, but we must choose a path after acquiring information and knowledge.
One of the more difficult decisions many of us have to make is whether and when to place a parent …read more

I’ve been receiving comments at former blogs  regarding caregiving, Alzheimer’s and quilts.  I now write these at b5’s  Blisstree and would like to share the information received from readers.  I hope you’ll find it interesting and informative.
To my post, Design a Touch Quilt for Alzheimer’s Patients, one of my readers pointed me to Eva’s Loving Touch Lap Quilts.  Here we learn about the Alzheimer’s patient’s need for tactile or sensory stimulation and comfort. 
This reminds me how much my aunt seemed to need the sensation of something comforting to rub her hands over as she sat in her rocking chair.  My mother, in …read more

July 4th memories often entertain the Alzheimer’s parent and help you preserve your family heritage…for yourself, your children and future generations.  Since Alzheimer’s patients like to reminisce, you may be able to do this with them about memories of this holiday.

Record the memories
Jot them down
Pull out pictures and have the patient tell you about them (if they’re able)
Make some scrapbook pages with these memories
Involve the whole family so they can have memories of doing this with  the Alzheimer’s family member
Take the patient to July 4th events if they’re capable
Prepare foods the family member did or enjoyed on these occasions in …read more

Do you take statins? If so, you could also be fighting off Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers in The Netherlands showed that statins, normally taken to lower bad cholesterol, can also protect nerve cells from becoming damaged, as occurs in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
That nerve cell protection is believed to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. According to Alzheimer’s Association, as many as 5.3 million people in the US live with the disease.

In animal experiments conducted in the lab at University of Groningen, the statin Lovastatin prevented nerve cells from dying and thereby prevented the loss of memory capacity.
The …read more

Coloring pictures in coloring books, as well as drawing and coloring my own, occupied me extensively when I was a child.  My daughter and grandchildren have enjoyed coloring, as do many of the youngsters I have in school when I substiute teach.
I’ve also found this a great way to encourage children’s fine muscle coordination.  As I’ve substituted in kindergarten this year, and followed the youngsters throughout the school year, I’ve seen a great improvement in their ability to stay within the lines, even with small pictures.
Coloring is more than simply busy work. It’s a way to develop children’s coordination, a form of …read more

Scrapbooking and relating family stories appeal to many Alzheimer’s patients.  Even though they can’t completely follow these activities, whether in their home or a nursing home, they do enjoy the times they are focused.
I’ve taught scrapbooking and family history activities at a local nursing home and enjoyed this experience as much as the patients seemed to.
We made a scrapbook with a page for each resident who attended the sessions.  Using photos taken by the nursing home staff over a period of time, an activity coordinator and I arranged the pictures, chatted with the residents about them, and encouraged each patient to …read more

The post I wrote about resources for Alzheimer’s caregivers, Thursday Thirteen – 13 Blogs About Alzheimer’s,  resulted in numerous comments and caregivers sharing information.
They even provided some more blogs for caregivers.
If you’re looking for information and just a place to get together with other caregivers, for comfort and encouragement, perhaps you’d like to check out these blogs.  Also, you may find tips on making life more enjoyable for the person with Alzheimer’s.
If you have any more resources, do share them with us.  Caregivers need all the encouragement and support they can find during their journey with their Alzheimer’s patient.

I discovered that my grandchildren had no prejudice when it came to the elderly with Alzheimer’s.  They accepted my mother as she was. 
The fact that she might not know them seemed to have no bearing upon the youngsters, who began visiting her at the nursing home when they were 2- and 6-years old.  They were 8 and 12 when she passed away. 
To the younger child, Mother’s ramblings were a language he said only he understood.  “Grandma talk to me,” he said, when I wondered what she was saying. 
When asked why she visited a great grandmother who didn’t know her, my granddaughter once replied, …read more

Another form of parenting consists of caring for one’s parents or elderly relatives. You’ve gone from being parented to parenting that older person.   Most caregivers go into this stage of life without adequate preparation or support.
Finding caregiver support groups in your area, or online, can be a challenge.  Here are a few suggestions.
Check out the following places in your community to see if they have a support group or know of any:

Home health agencies
Senior Center
Local Hospital
Local Nursing homes
State Alzheimer’s Association
State Department of the Elderly or Family Services
Others caring for elderly parents or spouses

If there is nothing in your community, the …read more