Mixing medications, forgetting what to take when, or having insufficient knowledge about why one is taking a specific prescription becomes a challenge with Alzheimer’s patients and sometimes their caregivers.  If you have questions about prescription use, perhaps you’ll find these guidelines helpful:
Guidelines for Managing Medications and Prescriptions at AgingCare.com
Do you have suggestions on helping the Alzheimer’s patient in your family manage meds?  What works for you and them?
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In addition to caring for an Alzheimer’s family member, some caregivers may operate a business at home which enables them to be readily available.  Or they would like to develop something that enables them to earn money from home. 
My guest post at Susan Gunelius’ Women on Business blog gives you 10 Tips On Finding Time for Your Home Business.
Whether you’re balancing a home business with caregiving or considering doing this, I hope you find these tips helpful.
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When one receives a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, how does he/she learn to live with it?  How do family members learn to cope? 
My aunt was diagnosed before I became involved in her care.  When I would see her, she’d mention it, but didn’t seem to let it get her down.  However, I didn’t see her that often at that stage in her life.  Also, not so much was known about Alzheimer’s in the 1980s, so she may not have realized what was ahead for her.
I don’t think my mom ever realized she had developed Alzheimer’s.  She was more concerned about finding …read more

Do you scurry around making school lunches, getting snacks ready, or checking the hot lunch menu to see if it’s something the youngsters will like?  If you’re working outside the home, as well as caring for children and an Alzheimer’s patient, do you wonder what to take for yourself?
I’ve written about this topic at my Mary Emma’s Country Kitchen blog, under School Lunch Variations, covering lunches from my mom’s day to the present when my grandchildren take lunch and snacks to school.  There certainly have been changes over the years. 
Perhaps your Alzheimer’s patient will relate and have memories similar to those …read more

Edie Dykeman, at Elder Care Cafe, mentions Alzheimer’s Notes and comments:
Many times, once someone’s caregiving time is finished, they choose to move on. Mary Emma has returned to help the rest of us along.
Some people have asked me, “Why?” when so many caregivers and Alzheimer’s family members choose move on.
I want to reiterate:  First…it’s okay to move on.  Second…I’m not stuck in the past.
As Edie has glimpsed, I chose, through my writing and speaking, to remain involved and help those who are still going through caregiving.  When Mother and Auntie developed Alzheimer’s (Auntie first in the 1980s and then Mother while caring for her sister in the early 1990s), …read more

 Edie Dykeman, at ElderCareCafe, responded to my post,  Keeping Your Cool as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver , with, Great post and reminder to do what we can to stay calm and emotionally in control. Thanks!  She also described a situation in her caregiving life that you might relate to.
As I mentoned to Edie, it is difficult living day to day with someone who has Alzheimer’s and can be very stubborn. They’re also often frightened by what’s happening to them, so strike out verbally and physically at those closest.  That often is the caregiver.
When I was caring for Mother, I read somewhere that …read more

Have you ever come close to “losing your cool,” as you cared for an Alzheimer’s spouse or parent?  Have you had to calm your frustrations when your patient became irritating?
When you’re tired (getting adequate sleep as a full time caregiver becomes challenging), juggling many roles (especially if you’re a mom as well as cargiver) and taking care of a home, possibly even working outside, frustrations come to the foreground more easily.  So leaning to keep your cook becomes important so that you don’t fall into the abuse trap.
A British study reveals that Many Alzheimer’s Caregivers Admit to Abusive Behavior.  This …read more

After I wrote last week’s Thursday Thirteen  about 13 Birds Creating Memories in my mother’s life, Krista at Alzheimer’s Team, left me a comment, “My dad remembers he had horses but he can’t go in to detail about it. Maybe if we talked with him more about it he might remember more.”
Yes, often if you talk with your Alzheimer’s family member about places, persons, things and events, they will remember more. These may be bits and pieces of memories that you’ll enjoy jotting down or recording for family history, too.  Sometimes they will be lengthy stories.  You also may find …read more

Often caregivers feel isolated and think they’re alone in facing the challenges of caring for a family member, especially one with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia.  Even if there is a caregivers’ support group in their community, it’s not always easy to get away to attend meetings.
Online communities have become a boon to caregivers, where they can meet with others online who are having similar challenges.
Forgetful Not Forgotten is a community that’s evolving out of the film of the same name, by Chris Wynn about his father’s experience.  In this community you’ll be able to share your experiences and gain …read more

As caregivers, we often have a way of making ourselves feel guilty, regretful and inadequate.  Or we let others cause us to think we’re not doing the best job we can  (when they shirk the caregiver tasks themselves).
We’re usually thrown into caregiving without training or often advance warning.  Later we might wish we had done some things differently.  But we weren’t to know at the time.  Looking back, I wish I’d known more about Alzheimer’s when Mother and Auntie developed it.  But I never imagined I’d be caring for them. 
Also realize, someone told me, that as an Alzheimer’s caregiver, you …read more