As you read studies on Alzheimer’s disease and spend more time around individuals who’ve had the condition for extended periods of time, you may start to wonder how your loved one’s personality may (or may not) be affected as the disease progresses. Since many individuals with Alzheimer’s disease do undergo changes in personality and temperament, [...]
Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease often engage in behavior that strike outside observers as peculiar. Luckily, these peculiar behaviors, by and large, are completely harmless and do not pose a safety concern. Sometimes though, a behavior can lead a loved far away from home and into circumstances that may but him or her in harm’s way. [...]
As one might imagine, Alzheimer’s disease complicates communications between caregivers and their loved ones. Those individuals who display the more advanced symptoms of the disease can easily forget how to communicate their needs to their caregivers. For instance, individuals may suddenly forget the words to express their need to use the restroom, or they may [...]
If you have a family member that was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and you fear that you may one day develop the condition, then you may want to consider creating an advance directive. Simply stated, an advance directive is a document that ensures your wishes are known and followed. In other words, the documents simply [...]
As you spend more and more time treating a loved one—especially a family member—who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, you may begin to wonder whether or not you could potentially develop the disease. Such a question does, in fact, have a solid basis in reality, as medical researchers have identified a specific type of Alzheimer’s disease [...]
As with most people, insomnia can seriously impact the overall health of your loved one and result in serious health and safety concerns. Institutions such as the Mayo Clinic define insomnia as simply a disorder that can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay awake or both. Generally speaking, insomnia can impact on one’s daily [...]
While you’d think it goes without saying you should seek an evaluation for your loved one just as soon as he or she shows initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s or dementia, too many people fall into the trap of overlooking such signs—or very simply—living in denial that they’re loved one could develop one of these diseases. [...]
Like most people, individuals coping with Alzheimer’s or dementia tend to experience elevated levels and stress when introduced to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar environment. As you assist your loved one in the transition from his her house to a new home—such as your own house, the house of a relative or friend, or an assisted-living [...]
Anyone who’s lived through the experience of receiving bad news about a loved one’s condition knows what traumatic and life-altering experience this can be. Whether an individual learns that a close friend has passed or a family member has just been diagnosed with a terminal disease, the news does not come easily and the individual [...]
As your loved one begins displaying obvious signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s, you will undoubtedly begin considering how you might make adjustments to his or her daily life to ensure his her health and safety. In particular, one question you may ask concerns whether or not your loved one should continue enjoying an occasional alcoholic [...]