ElderCare At Home has an excellent resource page for all things Dementia related and Alzheimer’s- check it out here!

If you missed our last webinar- watch it here on our youtube channel along with other past webinars and favorite videos.

Sensory stimulation for Alzheimer’s patients and people with other forms of dementia has been shown to decrease agitation and restlessness, as well as improve sleep. These symptoms are very common in most forms of dementia, and certainly in people with Alzheimer’s, so sensory stimulation translates as improved quality of life for the patient as well as for the caregiver.

Sensory stimulation can be thought, quite simply, to be anything that stimulates one of our five senses. It is easy to create things from objects found around the house that will provide an endless variety of stimulation to any and all of the senses. Also remember that the things that give all of us pleasure, music and visual arts, good movies, a funny joke or story, give pleasure also to people with dementia.

The Senses
• Sight (Visual Stimulation) – Vision is our most important sense, the one through which we gain most of our information.
• Hearing (Auditory Stimulation) – Our ears probably provides us with our second most vibrant source of sensory stimulation.
• Smell (Olfactory Stimulation – Some of our strongest memories, our most potent associations, are triggered by odor.
• Taste (Gustatory Stimulation) – In many ways taste is the most pleasurable of our senses, depending on how much emphasis one puts on food and eating.
• Touch (Tactile Stimulation) – Anything touched and anything that touches us can be stimulating. Every solid object has texture, temperature, shape.

We use our nervous system in two other ways to gather information about our environment.

• Proprioceptive Stimulation is closely related to tactile stimulation, and is otherwise a little hard to define. Basically it is the sensory feedback that informs us where the parts of our body are and how they are moving. So, a stroll through the forest on a beautiful autumn day would not only involve visual, auditory, and olfactory stimulation, but also propreoceptive stimulation and;
• Vestibular Stimulation, which is related to and dependant on the proprioceptive system. The vestibular system is what gives us balance, allows us to stand and move through space without falling over. It is dependant on feedback from the visual, auditory, and tactile systems.

A Whole World
Very few activities stimulate only one sense or sense organ; few are beneficial in only a singular way. A walk in the woods in the fall when the leaves are changing can be a magnificent visual experience. The variety and the vibrancy of the colors is the first thing one notices, but autumn has its own array of smells and sounds. The pungent aroma of decay; the spicy smell of autumn flowers which differs from the sweeter smell of spring blossoms; leaves crunching under foot; flocks of geese honking as they begin their migration south. Add to that the exercise and the fresh air and you have a fairly complete activity for one suffering from dementia as well as for the caregiver who accompanies him.

A walk in the woods or a stroll through a flower-filled meadow may not be a viable option. If you live in the city or the person or people in your care are not adequately mobile, as would be the case in the later stages of the disease, consider a virtual exploration.

Butterflies and Flowers is just one of the many nature DVDs that are offered at Best Alzheimer’s Products, all of which will transport the viewer to another time and place. Add some other relevant objects for a comprehensive sensory experience. Have blossoms in the room to accompany the Butterflies and Flowers DVD mentioned above. A variety of colorful leaves, pinecones, acorns, and other things found wherever there are trees can, would make good companion pieces to Through the Forest or California Redwoods. Seashells, natural sponges and dried starfish in a box of sand will nicely compliment a viewing of Underwater Wonders or Ocean Serenity.

Not every activity need be as extravagant. Create an environment of sights, smells, and sounds in your patient’s living environment. Paintings and other pictures on the wall, a wind chime outside the window, a bouquet of flowers for its color as well as its fragrance, music on the radio; decorate as you would for anyone’s enjoyment. Always keep in mind that enjoyment is experienced in the present. Joy is not dependent on memory. Please visit Best Alzheimer’s Products to learn more.
http://store.best-alzheimers-products.com

As we age, the thinking/cognitive part of the brain begins to change:  there is
1) gradual decline in short-term memory;
2) slower processing of thoughts (it takes longer to retrieve what you know); and
3) it takes longer to learn new skills.

Beyond these normal changes, additional cognitive impairment can be caused by a number of sometimes correctable or treatable conditions — anxiety and depression, vitamin deficiencies, medications (too many or the wrong kinds), excess alcohol and other medical illnesses.

For some people, however, cognitive decline may progress to more serious difficulty with thinking and memory, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.  MCI means a person has problems with memory, attention, language, orientation (whether to date or place), reasoning skills, insight, and/or judgment that are severe enough to be noticed by others and are reflected on cognitive tests, but are not severe enough to interfere with daily life.

Ten to 15 percent of people with MCI progress to dementia each year.  Dementia (the most common type being Alzheimer’s) means progressive deterioration of those aforementioned cognitive abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily life, such as managing finances, taking medication safely, cooking and driving.  Factors that may increase risk of MCI and dementia include smoking, poorly controlled chronic illnesses (diabetes and depression, for example), genetics, and people with little social support.

Reducing your risk
The good news is that there are a number of factors that may reduce your risk of dementia.
• Dietary factors — increased fruits and vegetables, coffee (before 3 p.m. so it doesn’t interfere with sleep), mild alcohol intake, omega 3 fatty acids, and limiting saturated fats (butter, lard).
• Cognitive reserve —education level as well as accumulated life knowledge can provide a “cushion” against future cognitive decline.  Learning new things at any age can build cognitive reserve.
• Exercise enhances cardiac health and also protects against cognitive decline.
• Laughter — the use of healthy humor (not sarcasm) strengthens the immune response, lowers blood pressure and provides pain relief; some research shows that one minute of laughter has the health benefits of 10 minutes of aerobics.
• Social support — relationships with family, friends and involvement in community service can protect against the isolation and loneliness that increase the risk of cognitive decline.  Smiling at strangers, a small kindness or compliment to a neighbor or store clerk — it all counts as connecting with others and reaching beyond our own lives — as does working beside others at the brain gym.
• Cognitive/mental skill training — we have long underestimated the ability of the human brain.

There is a growing body of knowledge that suggests that exercising our brain can reduce our risk of cognitive decline just as physical activity can reduce our risk of heart disease.  In particular, learning new things (not just practicing things we already know) is protective, just as learning techniques to help memory, learning how to develop reasoning skills and decrease reaction time — there so many available tools now, here are some of the most common, and most fun!

Puzzles
Comedy Videos
iPads
Wii
X-Box
Book Clubs
Chess
Crossword Puzzles
Sudoku
Mahjong, Bridge & Other Card Games
Bingo
Dominos
Learning a new language

Do you have any more ideas or things that YOU DO to help maintain your brain? We’d love to hear them!  Send us an email at Info@ElderCareatHome.org

Caregivers and Friends- this is a great informational article by the Alzheimer’s Association on bathing- truly a difficult task. Hope this one helps you.

This is a great video by ABC news to share!

Every day we work with caregivers that are responsible for not only helping to keep the Alzheimer’s/dementia patient at home, but to provide appropriate, cognitively stimulating activities.  An article in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that playing BINGO specifically provides mental stimulation that is highly therapeutic. Patients participating in the study performed significantly better on measures of cognition. Staff members reported increases in alertness and in awareness in the test subjects for hours after testing.

BINGO has other advantages as a game for dementia patients. It comes not only in the familiar “B-6, N-23″ version, but in a number of alternatives that are stimulating on different levels and for different abilities. Players can identify anything from animals to items of food, to body parts. This allows for the game to be played, in one version or another, by patients at different stages of the disease, and to stimulate memories, thought process, or other cognitive abilities.

Games for Alzheimer’s should be played for stimulation, not for competition, and can be enjoyed by a group, by just two or three participants or with just the caregiver. Whenever possible, have children play with the older adults.  You can find a wide variety of BINGO games at Toys R Us and in most drug stores.

The demands on a person who is taking care of elderly parents result in a great deal of stress. If caregivers aren’t careful, they jeopardize their own health and well-being. Call us today for 1/2 off your 1st coaching session at CoachingforCaregivers.com or 1-800-29-4342.

A study of family caregivers found that those who experience caregiving-related stress have a 63% higher mortality rate than non-caregivers of the same age. There are several reasons why stress occurs, such as working too much, not sleeping enough, having to deal with family and work at the same time, and not having as many hours in the day as you need to take care of yourself.

Remember you can’t care for your loved one if you are ill yourself. The first step in dealing with caregiver stress is to recognize the signs. Then, you can find ways to deal with it and enlist support or medical help when needed.

10 signs of caregiver stress

• Depression. Symptoms include constant sadness, feelings of hopelessness and increased crying.
• Withdrawal. This can occur if you are depressed. You may not wish to see family and friends. You may stop taking part in things you used to enjoy.
• Anxiety. You may feel anxious to get things done or you may feel that you don’t have enough time, or about facing another day and what the future holds.
• Anger. You may start yelling at your loved one more, or have difficulty controlling your temper with other people. Caregivers often become angry at their loved one because they are sacrificing their own lives to care for them. Feeling angry at family members for not helping is also common.
• Loss of concentration. You are constantly thinking about your loved one and everything that you need to do. As a result, you have difficulty concentrating at home or at work.
• Changes in eating habits. This results in weight gain or loss, as well as increased illness.
• Insomnia. You may feel tired, but cannot sleep. Or, you may not feel tired even if your body is tired. You also may wake up in the middle of the night or have nightmares and stressful dreams.
• Exhaustion. If you frequently wake up feeling you can’t get out of bed despite a good night’s sleep, you’re in distress.
• Drinking or smoking. You may find that you are drinking or smoking more. Or, you start drinking or smoking when you haven’t in the past.
• Health problems. You may catch colds or the flu more often than usual. This is particularly common in caregivers who do not take care of themselves, by not eating properly and exercising.

Here are some tips for reducing stress related to caregiving:

• Use respite and healthcare resources available to you. Taking a break, and ensuring your loved one is well cared for is one of the best ways to reduce stress.
• If you need financial help, don’t be afraid to ask family members to contribute their fair share.
• Say “no” to requests that are draining and stressful, such as hosting holiday meals.
• Forgive yourself for your imperfections. There is no such thing as a “perfect” caregiver.
• Identify what you can and cannot change. You may not be able to change someone else’s behavior, but you can change the way that you react to it.
• Set realistic goals. Break large tasks into smaller steps that you can do one at a time.
• Prioritize, make lists, and establish a daily routine.
• Keep in touch with family and friends and make time for yourself.
• Join a support group for caregivers. If your loved one has a particular affliction, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, look for a support group targeted at that disease.
• Make time to be physically active on most days, even if it’s a short walk. Eat a healthy well-balanced diet and get enough sleep.
• See your doctor regularly for checkups.
• Keep your sense of humor and practice positive thinking.
• Find out about caregiving resources in your community. Your Area Agency on Aging (find it in the phone book) is a great, free resource.
• If you work outside the home, consider taking a break from your job. Employees covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act may be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year to care for relatives.