Here are a few things to look for that may indicate your loved one may need a caregiver or new living arrangement.
1. Changes in grooming habits. Hair frequently unkempt, wearing the same clothes day after day, body odor.
2. Abnormal financial issues such as unpaid bills, bounced checks, overspending, or abnormal charitable gifts he or she cannot afford.
3. Confining him or herself to a certain section of the house. If he or she seems to avoid the kitchen or everything seems clustered into one area.
4. Decrease in mobility, avoidance of stairs, frequent falls, unexplained bruising that looks like it is from a fall.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Recognizing Grief and Loss
As I sit here tonight, it has been a tough week for the nation. We had the bombing in Boston. Tonight in Texas, an entire town was evacuated due to a fertilizer plant fire, which has been catastrophic for the elderly and disabled there, and children have been harmed and died from senseless cruelty. Today, many of us are likely to be feeling a sense of loss and bewilderment. However, if I might call attention to that feeling for one moment I think you will understand why.
It is vitally important that once someone receives a diagnosis of a health crisis or deterioration that they be allowed to be angry. Naturally, it is important to also remind them not to lash out at their support system. That said, anger is an important stage for grief. Imagine your sense of loss over the above issues, and then imagine that you are slapped in the face by your own body every morning you try to get up and carry on because a health condition is stealing your abilities and your independence. How did you feel when you passed that 30 mark and then snowballed to 40, 50, and 60 years old? Some days the sense of a lost youth creep in. Our loved ones with chronic illness and health problems have to try to make peace with loss every day, and sometimes many times a day. It is good to acknowledge the sense of loss and give that emotion a name. That way your loved one can verbalize that it is not the caregiver they are mad at as much as it is the illness and be relieved from a feeling of guilt.
It is vitally important that once someone receives a diagnosis of a health crisis or deterioration that they be allowed to be angry. Naturally, it is important to also remind them not to lash out at their support system. That said, anger is an important stage for grief. Imagine your sense of loss over the above issues, and then imagine that you are slapped in the face by your own body every morning you try to get up and carry on because a health condition is stealing your abilities and your independence. How did you feel when you passed that 30 mark and then snowballed to 40, 50, and 60 years old? Some days the sense of a lost youth creep in. Our loved ones with chronic illness and health problems have to try to make peace with loss every day, and sometimes many times a day. It is good to acknowledge the sense of loss and give that emotion a name. That way your loved one can verbalize that it is not the caregiver they are mad at as much as it is the illness and be relieved from a feeling of guilt.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Vision Changes and Dementia
One of the unfortunate frequent occurrences with Alzheimer's and dementia is declining peripheral vision. While those with macular degeneration are familiar with losing straight vision and keeping the peripheral vision, with dementia it is the opposite. As time progresses a "tunnel vision" effect begins to occur and a straightforward gaze is frequent. Perception and depth begin to change and while putting the words to what is occurring or knowing what to do as these changes occur can be difficult, it is important to be aware of them. Simple changes can make a big difference. First, do not walk up behind or from the side of someone with these vision changes. It can be frightening and he or she may be easily startled. Do your best to get directly in front of of the person and softly approach. When feeding, be sure to bring the food up directly in front of him or her so that they are prompted by the visual field that food is coming to their mouth. If you are sitting next to the person and bring the food in on the fork from the side, he or she might never see the food coming towards the mouth and may struggle with the spatial awareness as well. When at that point of care, every bite can make a difference in caloric intake.
These perceptual changes are also why persons with dementia may react strongly to color and boundary changes in the flooring and environment. They lose spatial awareness, but are capable of seeing that there are changes in color, etc. in front of them. This may cause confusion and you may experience watching them try to take a step up, as on a stair, with changes from hard flooring to carpet, etc. Working with an occupational and physical therapist during these changes can be very helpful as a therapist can develop a specialized program for your loved one to help maintain skills or prompt responses for necessary tasks. Fully utilize home health care for such needs with agencies such as +Amedisys+, that have fully staffed nursing and therapy care that can come directly to the home and help work within your loved one's practical environment and daily needs.
These perceptual changes are also why persons with dementia may react strongly to color and boundary changes in the flooring and environment. They lose spatial awareness, but are capable of seeing that there are changes in color, etc. in front of them. This may cause confusion and you may experience watching them try to take a step up, as on a stair, with changes from hard flooring to carpet, etc. Working with an occupational and physical therapist during these changes can be very helpful as a therapist can develop a specialized program for your loved one to help maintain skills or prompt responses for necessary tasks. Fully utilize home health care for such needs with agencies such as +Amedisys+, that have fully staffed nursing and therapy care that can come directly to the home and help work within your loved one's practical environment and daily needs.
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