Keep useful phone numbers by phone.
Any personal contacts on it should be aware of the dementia so they know how to handle a conversation from the person with dementia who may be confused.
Keep useful phone numbers by phone.
Any personal contacts on it should be aware of the dementia so they know how to handle a conversation from the person with dementia who may be confused.
Keep keys in obvious place like large bowl.
As people work longer and people can work with dementia, it may just be that to support them adjustments are made in the workplace; below are examples of possible adjustments.
An example of solution to a possible problem:
Where there is a shiny floor they maybe scared to step on it; thinking it is water. You can show it is safe by walking on it, in front of them.
First question: Does it hurt you physically (not annoy you—we are easily annoyed) that they wear the same outfit every day? If you are answering honestly, the answer is “No.”
Second question: Does it physically hurt any of the other people living here? “No.” (When you get older you lose your sense of smell.)
Third question: Does it hurt the person with dementia physically to wear the same outfit every single day? “No.”
If you answered “No” to these three questions, let it go. It’s difficult enough to get dressed once a day, let alone twice.
Even if the outfit is dirty or has an odor, does it physically hurt anyone? No. If the outfit is soiled, then yes, now is the time to give them a reason to change clothes: “Company is coming.” “It’s Saturday night.” “Let’s get cleaned up for church.” Simply give them a reason they would understand to get “washed up.”
Since they have short-term memory loss, do they remember wearing that outfit yesterday? No. Why do they choose that outfit? They like it. It makes them feel good. Allowing this choice means respecting their dignity. Don’t you get to choose what outfit you wear?
Half a million women in the UK are now living with dementia; this correlated with women living into their 80s. The condition is the leading cause of death in women in the UK.
Women are also more likely to take on unpaid caring roles for other people with dementia and are more than twice as likely as men to provide intensive, 24-hour care.
An analogy for a dementia brain regarding memory problems, is that it is like a wobbly book case. The top books fall first. It is the top where the latest memories are so they are the ones lost.
The part of the brain called the hippocampus is responsible for facts, names, biographies and dates. In a brain affected by dementia the hippocampus is like a flimsy book shelf therefore the information that it is responsible for is affected by the dementia.
The part of the brain called the amygdala is responsible for emotion. In a dementia Brian this remains a sturdy book case. This means a person with dementia may not remember a day out but the happiness remains.
Research is continuing into genetics of dementia. Certain types are more likely to be passed down in genes than others. For example see yesterday’s prompt where Familiar Alzheimer’s disease where offspring of someone with the gene have a 50% chance of developing. Whereas vascular dementia which is caused by damages to blood vessels is more affected by lifestyle factors. Although conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes which can increase risk of dementia can themselves be passed down genetically therefore inheritance of dementia is complex.
Familiar Alzheimer’s Disease is rare (affecting a 2-3% of people with dementia). The symptoms begin younger than in other types dementia (earlier than 65). Apparently this was the subject of the film Still Alice. It is an autosomal dominant condion meaning the risk for those with an affected parent is about 50% but those without family history will almost certainly not get this version of dementia.