Tag Archives: family

5 Tips for Talking to Someone With Alzheimer’s Disease

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1. Diminish distractions.

2. Converse one-on-one.

3. Keep things simple.

4. Avoid arguments (this should be number 1).

5. Just keep talking.

I would also like to add:

6. Walk in their shoes.

7. Step into their world and speak their “language” (even if it makes no sense………………… my mom was only able to articulate herself using the words, “despierta America” and “la fruta”).

8. Take a deep breath if you get frustrated (because you probably will).

9. Talk to other family and friends about how to best communicate with your loved one. They might keep visiting if they feel like they’re actually helping or supporting the person with dementia.

How You Can Help Stop Alzheimer’s

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Alzheimer’s Registry Aims to Wipe Out Disease

Originally from AARP Blog and posted by 

What if you could play a part in preventing Alzheimer’s disease? Maybe you can. The Phoenix-based Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) has established an online registry for those at risk of developing a disease affecting more than 5.4 million Americans.

Many signing on are adult sons and daughters involved in the caregiving of a parent with Alzheimer’s. The ultra user-friendly Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry is a national initiative that connects would-be sufferers with researchers. Participants learn the latest developments in the field and have the opportunity to participate in prevention trials. There’s also an online community.

The goal is to get 100,000 people in the registry by next July. Enrollees include Nancy Hetrick, 45, and her three sisters. Hetrick’s father developed early on-set Alzheimer’s in his 50’s. His father (Hetrick’s grandfather) was one of 14 children; all developed the disease.

Hetrick’s mother and her mother’s two siblings also have Alzheimer’s. The younger women plan to participate in any prevention studies for which they’re eligible.

The registry is part of a worldwide effort to tackle a disease that may impact 7.7 million nationwide by 2030.

Research released this month suggests there may be changes in the brain more than two decades before the first signs of Alzheimer’s surface. A study underway between the National Institutes of Health, BAI, the University of Antioquia in Colombia and Genentech is focused on cognitively healthy participants expected to get Alzheimer’s because of family history.

The group is studying 300 Colombians from an extended family who share a rare genetic mutation that usually brings on Alzheimer’s around age 45 and also will involve participants from the United States.

Two Alzheimer’s factoids:

  1. Recent research conducted by Edge Research of 1,024 adults ages 18-75 shows nearly half of American adults have a personal connection to Alzheimer’s
  2. 7 out of 10 worry they or someone they love will have memory loss or Alzheimer’s

Would you consider joining a registry for Alzheimer’s or another disease with a genetic component? What is your biggest worry about getting Alzheimer’s?

Follow Sally Abrahms at www.sallyabrahms.com and on Twitter. Take a look at her November AARP Bulletin story on the emotional side of caregiving.

Friends With Benefits and Alzheimer’s Disease…

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………………………….Can make for a pretty complicated relationship.

Actually, I just saw the comedy Friends With Benefits last night and wanted to share because the movie touches on Alzheimer’s disease…………. Now, most times, I take issue with how news, movies and TV shows portray dementia……………… they typically avoid the grotesque, that is, the disease is wrapped up in a nice pretty bow at the end of the program…… like it’s actually a problem that can be solved.

For me, that’s just plain irritating.

In Friends With Benefits, Justin Timberlake’s father, played by Richard Jenkins, has Alzheimer’s disease and he actually has a challenging behavior: he takes off his pants in public. Part of the storyline (besides the obvious, beneficial, one) involves Dylan (JT) coming to terms with his dad’s diagnosis and behavior……………. Yes, the father has more lucid moments than not, and in those lucid moments, he’s incredibly wise, kind-hearted and ultimately helps his son make the right choice when it comes to love; however, what I liked was that the film (albeit briefly) addressed the toll on young adult children………… Dylan lives in New York, his father lives with his daughter in Los Angeles — there’s an inner conflict; Dylan’s feelings of embarrassment, especially when out in public; Dylan’s heartache at losing another parent (his mother left the family 10 years earlier); Dylan accepting and coming to terms with that which he cannot fix………….. he finally steps into his father’s world and walks around in his shoes.

The movie is out on Netflix and on DVD… it’s a fun flick and it made me laugh, so check it out if you can.