Blisstree » Alzheimers+home+care

Welcome to the First ‘All about Alzheimer’s’ Carnival

Liz Lewis — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:03:02 +0000

Welcome to the very first ‘All about Alzheimer’s’ Carnival. We’ve some interesting articles about Alzheimer’s for you to read. Check them out…

Doug from My-Caboodle presents Two Things I’m Learning about Alzheimer’s, discussing how Alzheimer’s runs in his family and how it is affecting him and his family

The Whited Sepulchre presents Alzheimer’s and Storage Buildings saying, “This was the first writing that I ever posted on my blog. Therefore, no one ever read it. Thanks for providing this forum ! ! My Father-in-law has Alzheimer’s, and I recently had to clean out some storage buildings behind his house. The arrangement of the “stuff” inside the buildings was a perfect metaphor for the mind of an Alzheimer’s victim. The newer material was jumbled and useless. The older objects had value.”

Laura Spencer, guest blogging at Home Biz Notes writes about The Home Business Juggling Game & Alzheimer’s discussing how she juggled a home business and caring for her father when he had Alzheimer's.

Alvaro Fernandez at Sharp Brains suggests Jogging our Brains for Brain Vitality, Healthy Aging-and Intelligence! looking at commentary on several recent articles on the importance of cognitive exercise, which may contribute to delaying Alzheimer’s related symptoms.

Darlene from Interview Chatter looks at the job of caregiving for Alzheimer’s patients and how to prepare for an interview in Preparing for Careers in Human Services

Yvonne Russell from Home Biz Notes looks at setting up Your Specialty Home Based Alzheimer’s Bookstore giving suggestions on how to operate a home based bookstore featuring books about Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving.

Beth from AGIS CareStation Blog couldn’t decide which post to add to the Carnival so she sent two. Normally, you can only send in one post per carnival but like Beth, I couldn’t decide which one to include so Ive posted both. One post addresses Here but not here – How to Deal with Ambiguous Loss and the other Alzheimer’s Memory Loss Faster Among Well-Educated

And here at Alzheimer’s Note’s, Mary Emma Allen remembers some of the highlights of helping a family member with Alzheimer’s Disease and discusses how this helps form a family bond among the generations and creates a legacy in I Remember When…An Alzheimer’s Journey.

So that’s it for the very first All about Alzheimer’s Carnival. Thanks to all you who sent in articles. It’s been fun. Lots of interesting posts to read and explore. Hope you’ve enjoyed it.

The All About Alzheimer’s Carnival will be back again next month on the 19th of January. We hope you can join us then.

You can submit to the next edition of all about alzheimer’s using our carnival submission form

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page

Post from: Blisstree

Welcome to the First ‘All about Alzheimer’s’ Carnival

The day in the life of a family dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Liz Lewis — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:07:14 +0000

A look into a couple of days in the life of a family dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Part I

Part II

A brief look at what caregivers go through when dealing with Alzheimer’s disease! Made by Ryan Pfleger at the Brooks Institute of Photography.

The result of a student documentary project by Ryan Pfleger at the Brooks Institute of Photography.

Post from: Blisstree

The day in the life of a family dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease.

How Stressed Are You From Caring For An Alzheimer’s Patient?

Liz Lewis — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 05:50:32 +0000

It’s estimated that almost a quarter of American adults are caring for an aging parent, spouse, or relative. And while this can be very rewarding, it can also be very stressful.

If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia related disease, you should head over to CaregiverStress.com and take their Caregiver’s Stress Assessment.

This online test will not only assess your stressl level but also provide advice on how to deal with the stresses you are under.

(I found out about the Caregiver’s Stress Assessment test over at The Dementia Caregiver’s Toolbox)

Post from: Blisstree

How Stressed Are You From Caring For An Alzheimer’s Patient?

Columba Bracelet for wandering Alzheimer’s patients.

Liz Lewis — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 04:43:43 +0000

Wandering and getting lost is a serious issue for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Some ways to minimize the risk of wanderiing include:

- conceal and/or camouflage doors
- install locks and alarm systems
- put labels on doors explaining purpose of room, ie bathroom, kitchen, bedroom
- figure out when wandering is most likely to occur and distract the person with activities during this time
- reassure them that they are in the right place

But if these simple measures fail or seem too restrictive, there is a much more technical way of keeping track of the Alzheimer’s patient – the Columba bracelet. It looks like a watch but provides global positioning system (GPS) tracking.

As Mary Emma mentioned in her earlier post Should Alzheimer’s Patients Be Electronically Tagged, there is mixed reaction to the idea of tagging and tracking someone.

But the Columba bracelet allows the Alzheimer’s patient more freedom and liberty and could provide sole caregivers peace of mind. The caregiver can set a pre-defined geographic area and if the patient leaves this area, the device will automatically sound an alert.

This alerts the 24/7 medical assistance center who can locate the bracelet wearer through GPS and communicate not only with him or her but also immediately contact the family to organize rescue of the person with Alzheimer’s disease.

Let us know what your think of using such a device by leaving a comment and voting on our new poll Should Alzheimer’s Patients Be Electronically Tracked?

Post from: Blisstree

Columba Bracelet for wandering Alzheimer’s patients.

Creating an Alzheimer Friendly Home

Liz Lewis — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:43:07 +0000

The Division of Geriatics at Weill Cornell Medical College has just been awarded a $45,000 grant from NEC Foundation of America to help with the development of an Alzheimer-Friendly Virtual Home. Aimed at helping caregivers and families find the best ways of adapting homes for people with Alzheimer’s Disease, this graphic-rich website is expected to be launched in 2008.

In the meantime, anyone looking to make their house safe and user friendly for anyone suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and related diseases can read The Alzheimer-Friendly House, a 20 page online guide produced by Weill Cornell College and Modifying Your Home For Alzheimer’s Disease Patients by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.

Photo by Striatic

Post from: Blisstree

Creating an Alzheimer Friendly Home

The Living-at-Home Challenge for Alzheimer’s Patients

Mary Emma Allen — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 12:00:47 +0000

“I’d never send my Mother (or father, or spouse) to a nursing home,” is a statement I sometimes hear. “I promised I never would.”

However, we never know until we’re faced with the decision. I cared for my mom in her home, then ours. Finally I had to make that decision and place her in a nursing home when her Alzheimer’s condition became severe. Also, caring for her at home was an impossibility after I broke my back, even if we’d wanted to reconsider.

Mother was well cared for at the nursing home and seemed contented when she became adjusted. “They’re so good to me here,” she once remarked to me.

One of the main challenges of Mother’s continuing to live at home was the inability to get regular at-home help to care for her when my husband or I couldn’t be there. I discovered it was easier to get a sitter for babies and children than it was for an elderly person, especially one who needed special care.

More agencies providing at-home care have evolved since I was caring for my aunt and mother. Inquire at your local Senior Center, the area hospital, a nursing home, and local home health agency for suggestions about at-home care for a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Post from: Blisstree

The Living-at-Home Challenge for Alzheimer’s Patients