At What Point Should I Have My Father Assessed?
While aggressive behavior may indicate that you need to have your loved one assessed, you should be sure to spend plenty of time investigating your loved one’s environment to be sure that other factors aren’t the source of the aggressive behavior. For instance, if your father lives at an assisted [...]
When Should I Consider Hospice Care?
When a physician determines that your loved one has only six months or less to live, the physician can call-in hospice to provide care for him or her. Very simply, hospice is an organization that serves individuals with terminal illnesses by providing palliative care and support for both the individual [...]
Assisted Living Facilities and Medication Concerns
Unfortunately, those living Alzheimer’s disease or dementia—because of their conditions—do not always have much say over the types of medications doctors prescribe them. To explain, the issues they experience with their memories do not put them in a great position to describe or explain the effects of medications to their [...]
Managing Your Loved One’s Hallucinations
Those who’ve experienced hallucinations can attest to their confusing and frightening qualities, and while not every hallucination necessarily evokes feelings of fear, many of have the potential to cause your loved one extreme distress or provoke him or her to engage in risky behavior. As such, you’ll want to make [...]
Day-to-Day Bonding with Your Loved One
As you spend time with your loved one at home, you’ll likely find yourself wanting to dream-up some entertaining activities for him or her to do. One thing to keep in mind during your search for activities that suite your loved one’s lifestyle is that most anything you do on [...]
Selecting a Caretaker
The responsibilities of taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may seem overwhelming at times. Between managing your own work-life balance and helping manage your loved one’s condition, you’ll likely find that your juggling more than you ever felt possible. That said, at one point or [...]
Behavior Acceptance and Its Role in Preventing Agitation
Just like the rest of us, those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can experience a wide array of emotions as they move throughout their daily lives. Just as we may feel agitation and anxiety after an unpleasant or frustrating interaction, those with either of these debilitating conditions may also experience [...]
Depression: More Common Than You May Think
Concerns about depression often arise for caregivers who have loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and rightfully so. Depression typically accompanies the onset of symptoms for either of these conditions, as individuals have difficulty coping with the fact that they’ve been diagnosed with a debilitating disease that will affect [...]