VALUABLES

Ask yourself the following questions: Can the person receiving care manage checks, credit cards or cash? Does care recipient remember or understand meaning/value/significance of heirlooms/jewelry or other valuables?

 

If the answer is no, then all these subjects in question should not be left in the home. If cash must be left in the house in caregiver’s control, a record of expenditures must be kept. You should never give permission for caregivers to charge credit cards or write checks for the client.

 

If heirlooms, jewelry or other valuables must be left in the house, get an appraisal of all items and photograph all items.

 

Remember, bonded and insured caregivers can only be held 100% accountable if it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that the item in question existed.

 

 

 

 

 

Safety First!

Free home of clutter, especially main thoroughfare—rooms, hallways, stairs. Remove all throw rugs that could cause tripping and falling.  If electrical extension cords are utilized, ensure that they are strategically placed to also avoid tripping. It is also important to safety proof all electrical outlets. Be sure lighting is adequate. The use nightlights or motion sensor lights are great to insure adequate lighting during night-time hours.

Make sure all stair railings (inside and outside) are not lose or wobbly. During winter months, be sure all snow and ice is removed from stairs, walkways and driveways. In the Fall, be sure leaves are cleared from walkways and stairs. Be sure outside lights work properly so stairs and walkways are illuminated.

Many family members ask me “what do I talk to my mom/dad about? We talk for a few minutes, then it’s silence.”

Well, there are certain things you can talk with them about to learn more about them. Ask open-ended questions that might start some interesting conversation:
1. What job did you have enjoyed/didn’t like?
2. Did you ever have a pen pal?
3. What is your favorite/least favorite family story?
4. Did you travel? What is your favorite place? Where would you have liked to visit?
5. What is your happiest memory?
6. What subjects did you enjoy is school?
7. What was the best date you ever went on like?
8. What is the most important world event you experienced?
9. Who were your childhood friends?
10. What fads did you love/not like?

Any open ended questions that will help you keep coversation going and allow you to get to know your parents better. The more you get to know, the easier it will be to understand them as they get older.

Alzheimer’s Seven Stages of Development

1. During the first stage, there is no impairment, and symptoms of dementia are nonexistent. There are no lab, cognitivie or imaging tests that can diagnose the disease in this stage. Promising genetic testing is providing clues into genetic markers and predispositions for detecting, and thereby preventing some symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

2. The earliest indications of Alzheimer’s can mimic normal changes, such as the onset of slight cognitive decline.

3. Mild decline in mental abilities include trouble recalling words or names, forgetting the order of tasks and difficulty making lists and planning activities.

4. Moderate cognitive difficulties may include forgetfulness of personal history and recent events, difficulty completing tasks like making grocery lists or trouble with mathematical computations such as calculating a restaurant tip.

5. Moderately severe patients may experience difficulties recalling their address or hometown, selecting weather-appropriate clothing, or having difficulty with simple mathematical calculations such as counting backwards by two from 20.

6. Severe mental decline may cause memory loss of familiar faces, difficulty remembering the names of loved ones and a general loss of bodily functions. Some patients need help using the toilet, experience behavioral and mood changes, and may wander or become lost.

7. Extremely severe Alzheimer’s symptoms consist of the total loss of a person’s ability to conduct a conversation, react to the environment or adequately control movements. Muscles may harden, reflexes may not respond or may over respond to stimuli, and swallowing may bcome impaired.

Early Signs to Help you Identify the Presence and/or Progress of Alzheimer’s Disease

* Memory loss that interferes with normal daily activities and becomes more frequent. For example, important dates and events are forgotten and there is an increased reliance on others for help to remember.

* Trouble with conversations.

* Stopping mid-sentence and completely losing the thread of the conversation.

* Calling itmes by the wrong name or forgetting the right word.

* Problem-solving difficulty, such as balancing a checkbook or following a familiar recipe.

* Difficulty with everday tasks, such as remembering how to drive to a familiar location.

* Confusion about where the individual is and how they arrived there.

* Difficulty with spatial relationships and understanding color and contrast.

* Losing track of where things have been placed, assuming that things have been stolen from you.

* Poor judgement which leaves individuals more susceptible to scams.

* Inability to complete or participate in a favorite hobby.

* Lack of attention to grooming and cleanliness.

* Withdrawal from social activities and work.

* Mood and personality changes such as fear, anxiety and suspiciousness.