Battling Alzheimer

Okay, this is my last post on the whole dementia, Alzheimer’s and sex subject. But this subject really has me thinking about the rights of people with dementia.

Is a 14 or 15 year old any more able to give consent than a person with dementia?

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For the next couple of days, we’ll take a look at some of the legal issues facing caregivers and Alzheimer’s patients.

It is an incontestable fact that Alzheimer’s will ultimately render the one who has it, unable to handle day to day, legal and health care decisions.  It’s not something that caregivers or Alzheimer’s patients look forward to discussing, but it is absolutely necessary.

A few weeks ago, I did a series of posts about the stages of Alzheimer’s disease and how caregivers should respond to those stages.  As the disease progresses it will become apparent that your loved one needs more and more help; it is imperative that you (or someone close to the situation) get Power of Attorney (POA), so that the family is able to make life, legal and health care decisions for your loved one.

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I have been sort of avoiding writing this post.  As I have described each stage of Alzheimer’s disease, I can remember my mother and how she declined through the stages.  I can remember the anxiety and fear that each stage brought (for me).  I can remember feeling sick in my gut as I realized that she was coming to the end.  I recall wondering, how will it actually happen?  How long does this stage last?  How will she actually die and more importantly, how will I possibly live without my favorite girl in the whole wide world.  Well, that answer is for another post at another time, but for now, I have to talk with you about stage seven, the final stage of Alzheimer’s disease.  I have to tell you what will happen while your loved one still lives.  To say that stage seven is difficult is like saying that gas prices are a little high, it’s a gross understatement.

Stage 7

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I started talking about the stages of Alzheimer’s disease on Last Thursday. In that post, I covered stages one and two, on Monday, I talked about stages three and four.  On Tuesday, I covered stage five. That means we are up to stage 6.  Before I get into the details, I want to say again, in case you are just tuning in, that there is a plethora of information on the stages of Alzheimer’s disease.  Most organizations, websites and blogs that talk about Alzheimer’s have sections on the stages of the disease.  It is my intent not just to give you information on the stages; but to help you to prepare by suggesting ways that you, as a caregiver, should respond to the particular stage your loved one is currently facing.

Stage 6

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Today is the third day that I’ve discussed the stages of Alzheimer’s disease.  People are very different and they all start from different “norms.”  For example, I have an excellent memory for phone numbers.  Someone else may have never been good at remembering numbers, so our norm from the beginning would be different.  That said, there are still benchmarks and tell tale signs that would signal the various stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

As stated previously, my goal is to give you the characteristics of each stage AND to let you know how you as a caregiver can respond to the things going on in that particular stage.

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Last week I talked about how to know if it’s Alzheimer’s disease and I ended the segment on Thursday with a discussion about stages one and two.  I promised that, for this week, I’d finish up the stages.

I thought it would be most helpful for you if I not only describe the stages, but also provide some information as to how, you as a caregiver, might prepare and respond in a particular stage. After all, as a caregiver, you want to know what is coming and how to deal with it.

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This post discusses Alzheimer’s Disease Stages One and Two 

I promised that I’d talk about stages, and in the meantime, I got a GREAT idea that I believe will be quite beneficial.  You and I both know that there are numerous places that you can get information about the STAGES of Alzheimer’s disease. As a caregiver, I really wanted to understand what was coming next, so those sites and resources definitely filled that need.  As time went on, though, I discovered that as much as I needed to understand the stage and what was coming next, I needed to know what that meant for me as a caregiver.  I wanted answers to questions such as, how would my role change as the stages progressed?  As my mom’s need for care increased, were there organizations I could look to for help with daily activities?  At what point should we consider adult day care and would there be a time that she would  no longer be ”eligible” for adult day care?  What is assisted living and is it realistic for us to consider an Alzheimer’s care facility? Does everyone with Alzheimer’s eventually become incontinent?

So, what I propose to do is not just share the stages with you, but also help you to be prepared and armed to battle Alzheimer’s disease from stage one to stage seven.  The format will be as follows, I’ll describe the stage, provide links for more information and then give you pertinent information regarding your role as a caregiver. 

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Yesterday, we talked about the fact that incontinence and Alzheimer’s disease are companions.

Today, I want us to investigate incontinence a little deeper. We’ll look at types of incontinence and some differences between men and women. Hopefully, we’ll help you to be able to ask the right questions and/or figure out if your loved one’s incontinence is temporary and due to some underlying medical issue, or if it’s the incontinence brought on as Alzheimer’s disease progresses.

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