When President Ronald Reagan first declared November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, there were less than 2 million persons in the U.S. with Alzheimers Disease.
Today, there are 5.4 million. That’s more than a 170% increase!
And it means 1 in 8 persons over the age of 65 has it.
Alzheimer’s Disease is now the 6th cause of death in the U.S. And according to the Alzheimer’s Association, the only one that has no –
- Cure…
- Prevention or…
- Way to slow its progression.
Wow.
More sobering statistics are that about 1 in 10 grandparents has Alzheimer’s. And for people over the age of 85, almost 1 in every 2 — or almost 50 percent — have either Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.
So what can you do to help?
Each case is unique, and your situation probably is too. Here are some suggestions –
- Support Alzheimer’s research and awareness through donating money and / or time…
- Support an Alzheimer’s caregiver. Caregiving can be very lonely, and caring for someone with dementia is especially exhausting. You could offer to help. Some examples include grocery shopping, shoveling snow or mowing the lawn, pay some bills, provide hot meals or respite for the caregiver. You could arrange a vacation for the caregiver, although often a few hours break is what is really needed.
Just offering a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen without criticism can be invaluable to the caregiver and the one receiving care. - Or maybe you know there’s something else you can do to individually help.
And if you’re a caregiver, how about asking someone for help before you reach your breaking point?
Friends and family may think you have everything under control and don’t need help. Maybe they’re busy with their own lives. Sometimes just asking for help is all you need to do.
Do you care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease who still likes to get out, but you’re nervous about taking them because you never know how they’ll react?
How about asking someone to help you take them to a favorite restaurant? You might be surprised how helpful another person can be. Especially if you are stressed and tired. And what caregiver isn’t?
Unexpected situations can be frightening to someone with Alzheimer’s disease or a dementia. And sometimes waiters, receptionists and others can make the situation worse without realizing it. They may be impatient – and even rude – when they don’t understand what’s going on.
Now you can discretely hand them a card explaining the situation, without alerting the whole room or embarrassing your companion. They’re called Alzheimer’s companion cards and they can be very helpful.
If you know someone who could use these cards why not get some as a gift? Or get some for yourself if you’re the caregiver and can use them.
Just click here now for Alzheimer’s companion cards.
To your healthy and happy caregiving,
Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”
Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com
Original Post:
Alzheimer s Disease: How Can I Help?
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I love the idea of the card to hand out. I just recently found out my aunt had Alzheimer’s for several years before she died and her care primarily fell on my cousin’s shoulders. We are finally catching up after a 20-year gap. I’m just finding out now what she has been going through. Thanks for these tips to help others.
Carol Covin recently posted..Rocky and Bullwinkle
Thanks Carol for sharing! It always amazes me how much caregivers keep to themselves. I’m glad she can share with you what she went through.
My mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s for several years before she crossed through the veil. I found my sister-in-law and my wife constantly challenged dealing with her as her disease grew worse. It got really difficult taking her out to eat or do anything else. She could get belligerent about using a walker or wheel chair yet she lacked the endurance to function without one or the other.
I love the idea of those Alzheimer’s companion cards. They should make life easier for the restaurant or merchant staff as well as the care giver. While my mother-in-law may not remember us or who she was, she still had an ego and didn’t want to be embarrassed.
I write extensively about relationship selling and about customer loyalty programs. Interestingly, the easiest, most effective way to develop customer loyalty isn’t a program. It’s showing you care, listening and paying attention to your customers. Train you staff on the basics of just being sensitive to someone dealing with a caregiving client, whether family or patient. It can win you loyal, repeat customers as well as increase your own satisfaction from making their lives easier.
John R. Aberle recently posted..JohnAberle’s photostream
Hi John,
I’m sorry for your family’s loss, which begins when the person with ALzheimer’s disease exhibits symptoms of forgetting who they are and who their loved ones are.
Yes, these cards are a way to quietly let a waiter or staff member know about Alzheimer’s without embarrassment or making a scene.
The belligerence often is a function of the brain disease. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that not only affects memory, but also how the person affected interprets things, including walkers and wheelchairs. She may have seen the walker or wheelchair as something scary, not a tool to help her. And frustrating to caregivers is this can be true one minute and not the next.
Thanks for your comment!
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