Learn more about the National Silver Alert to help find missing seniors and/or other adults with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders.

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National Silver Alert to Help Find Missing Seniors

As I continue the examples of sundowning, I think of Mother’s roommate at the nursing home.  She often became agitated in late afternoon.

“I must get home.  I must get home,” Miss Marie said when she stopped me in the hall.  “Please take me there.  I must get home before the children come from school.”

So I walked with her down the hallway to Mother’s and her room.  “Thank you.  Thank you,” she said, as she sat in her rocking chair by the window.  “Now I can see the children getting off the bus.”

There were no children; they were now grown with children of their own.  But Miss Marie was back in time to an earlier era.

However, her request made perfect sense when you looked at it in her world.  Usually she sat quietly by the window waiting for the children.  Then she might become diverted when a staff member entered the room with some activity or task for her.

So, when your family member becomes agitated in the later afternoon and even may wander, frustrating as it may seem, you can get a better understanding of how to deal with the situation if you look at it from their world.

(Amazon image)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Continuing Discussion About Sundowning – Children Home from School

SUNDOWNING

Sundowning refers to the agitation and wandering that occurs with Alzheimer’s patients in late afternoon, about the time the sun goes down. For some reason that researchers don’t completely understand, Alzheimer’s patients frequently tend to become agitated about this time of day.

Some have a greater tendency to wander in late afternoon, too.  So they have to be watched more carefully at these times for their safety.

Have you experienced sundowning with your Alzheimer’s patient?

(Here’s an abstract about sundowning from the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 9/22/07.)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Alzheimer’s Word of the Week – Sundowning

I think one of the most discouraging situations for Alzheimer’s patients, and possibly for family, too, is the “You can’t drive anymore scenario.”  This often creates a big hassle.

Even without someone having Alzheimer’s, there often comes a time when their reflexes aren’t so good,  their eyesight may be failing, stiff or arthritic joints keep them from moving swiftly, and their hearing may not be acute.  For someone who is accustomed to driving, loss of independence ,when they are no longer able, can be a shattering experience.

However, at some time, driving must be curtailed…before they injure themselves or someone else. 

*With my mom, an accident while driving, resulting in 14 stitches in her head and total damage to her car, made the decision automatic.  Although Mother wanted to get a new car, I couldn’t let her.  She was no longer safe on the road.  Just the day before this happened we were discussing how to take the keys from her.  This was a new situation, and we were trying to find out where to turn when Mother’s accident occurred.

With my father-in-law, the family began to realize he wasn’t a safe driver.  Discussion with him proved unsuccessful and somehow he found the extra set of keys.  So family members disabled the car and kept delaying “getting it fixed.”  He finally lost interest in driving and seemed content to let others drive him.

My neighbor’s aunt didn’t pass her sight test, and her doctor informed her that new glasses wouldn’t help enough to enable her to drive. She accepted this although she was frustrated and upset.

However, it often is very difficult.  They even may pass a driving test and receive a license renewal, when you know they’re not safe on the road.

Check out several  resources:

The Alzheimer’s Association – Driving with Alzheimer’s

The Hartford – Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Driving

The Mayo Clinic – Alzheimer’s: When to Stop Driving

How to determine driving ability in Alzheimer’s disease.

When to take the keys from Alzheimer’s patients.

(Amazon image: click for details.  Incidentally this is one of my favorite films and reminded me so much of situations with my mom, a very independent lady.)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Giving Up Their Independence – When Alzheimer’s Patients Can’t Drive

Here’s Congressman Tom Latham, one of the original co-sponsor of legislation known as the Silver Alert Grant Program Act. Congressman Latham is no stranger to the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease as his own father suffered from it.

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Congressman Tom Latham

Caregivers, after all, are at great risk of back injury and would find this book useful for learning more about how to prevent and manage back pain.

Christine has been kind enough to write a guest post for Alzheimer’s Notes looking at ‘Three Tips for Avoidng Caretaker Injuries’.

The upcoming Olympic Games should inspire everyone to exercise and use proper body mechanics. These athletes compete at a high level and that requires them to take care of their bodies. Taking care of someone else requires you, as a caretaker, to tend to your own body. If you start to experience aches and pains, then tasks become difficult or impossible to complete. Preventing injuries can be as simple as remembering some basic rules of body mechanics: bend your knees, move your feet, and keep the elbows close. This simple strategy not only helps athletes perform at a higher level, but can also help caretakers avoid being sidelined.

• Bend Your Knees: Physically assisting a person out a low position and picking up something below the level of the waist are both scenarios which are best done with bent knees. Bending the knees allows the powerful muscles in the legs to support you; otherwise, the vulnerable back muscles bear the brunt of the work. The optimal position for these tasks is a squat position with the feet shoulder width apart, the knees bent, and the butt out. Weight lifters are the best ones to watch for learning this technique for squatting. Get into the habit of bending your knees and you will be able the assist people for many happy years.
• Move Your Feet: The body is naturally programmed to conserve energy which means that bending, twisting and reaching come naturally while moving the feet requires some thought. The feet transport the body. By placing your body closer to the objective like a glass of water on the other side of the bed, your shoulders and back are less likely to become injured than if you were to reach over that bed. Moving your feet uses more energy, but also gives you a mechanical advantage. Tennis players are always moving their feet because reaching for the ball just does not allow them to strike it with power. Unleash your feet and you will unleash your power.
• Keep Your Elbows Close: The shoulders are in a powerful, protected position when the elbows are close to the body. If the elbows are flapping in the breeze like chicken wings, the shoulder tendons (collectively called the rotator cuff) are at high risk for injury. Swimmers are commonly afflicted with shoulder pain which is why they are trained to keep their elbows close to their body. This technique allows for a more powerful stroke and protects the shoulders. Next time you make someone’s bed or do some laundry, try keeping your elbows by your side because that minimizes the risk of shoulder injuries.

Physical fitness does not win medals; body mechanics are the key to the podium. Understanding how to put your body in a powerful, protected position is the best way to control how you physically perform. Both caretakers and athletes need physical conditioning and proper body mechanics. Knees, feet, and elbows all play a critical role in preventing disabling injuries. Physical capability is a matter of strategically using these parts of the body. By remembering some simple rules and nurturing yourself, you will be able to continue nurturing others.

(Christina Lasich, M.D, is a concerned physician who suffers from spine pain herself. She has practiced in the area of spine rehabilitation for more than 10 years and is an award-winning graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Although she focuses on back, neck and other musculoskeletal injuries, she also meets the rehabilitative needs of people with spinal cord injuries, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, muscular dystrophies, ALS, multiple sclerosis, amputations and other painful conditions. Dr. Lasich is the author of High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care.)

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Guest Post: Three Tips for Avoiding Caretaker Injuries by Christine Lasich, M.D.

Sounds like something everyone who works with dementia patients should experience…

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Take a Virtual Dementia Tour.

Okada has been training dogs since 1986 to help the disabled to participate as active members of society.

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Video about ‘Okada Alzheimer’s Assistance Dogs’.

When issued, it makes everyone aware that someone with Alzheimer’s Disease is missing and accelerates the process of engaging the community in the search and rescue of the vulnerable person. Immediate action includes using public broadcast systems, state transportation department automated road signs and a emergency call-line.

Sounds like a program that should be in all 50 states…

(source)

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A Silver Alert for Alzheimer’s.

 Caring for Alzheimer’s patients often involves lifting, holding someone who can’t walk well, moving someone.  Much of this activity often results in back injuries.

Carol Bradley Bursack has an informative article, Caregiver Injuries: Avoid Them, at her Minding Our Elders site. 

Caregivers often need to learn how to lift and do many other things for those they care for. Sometimes, we can do it alone, sometimes we can’t.

She also refers to an article by Denise Clark, Preventing Injuries Among Caregivers.

I was fortunate that I didn’t experience injuries when caring for Mother and Auntie.  But there were instances when this might have occurred if they had fallen, stumbled when I was assisting them, or needed lifting from bed to chair.

Check out some preventative measures in these two posts by Carol and Denise.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Alzheimer’s Caregivers – Tips on Avoiding Injuries