From the desk of Rosemary Laird, MD
Founder of Navigating Aging Needs
Safe Home!
As Alzheimer’s disease erodes your loved one’s memory, their perception of what they see, and their reasoning powers, a house can become a far more hazardous place for them to be. But with the right changes to the environment you can make their home far safer, and give your loved one a greater sense of security and independence.
Thanks, Partner!
The hard work you are doing, every day, is truly making a difference, and paying off in better outcomes for your loved ones
Stay Safe This Summer!
It’s Memorial Day, the unofficial kick-off day for summe. For many people around the country, this means heading to the beach, firing up barbeque grills, and having picnics. But there is something else that you should absolutely begin doing around this time of year: Preparing for the dangers of Florida’s summer weather.
Managing Anger
All of us, at some time, will experience and express anger at our loved one. You are, after all, human, and feeling angry is part of the human experience. The recognition that this very human trait occurs in all of us is the cornerstone of how you can cope with it.
Don’t Just Survive, Thrive!
Being a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is typically not something anyone plans for, and can represent a sudden, unexpected, and prolonged commitment to care. But, as Supreme Court Justice Jackson points out, “if you make the most of the resources you have, use your strengths to make your mark, and play the long game in your interactions with others, you will not only survive – you will thrive.”
Seeing the Light
As a caregiver, it’s often hard to actively seek out the flashes of pleasure and joy that come from your everyday efforts. However, if you are able to relax and open yourself to opportunities, those wonderful moments will come to you.
There’s No Place Like Home
For our loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the familiarity of home can hold added importance. The routine of daily home activities can bring them a sense of comfort and calm. Here are some tips for helping create a sense of routine.
How to Find Your Way
Being in unknown terrain can result in unpleasant surprises That’s why it’s handy to have a roadmap at hand for the journey ahead.
How To Better Communicate
For caregivers, communication is critical to your loved one’s health and wellbeing. It is important that you make sure you have a clear means of passing along information, comfort, and encouragement to your loved one. But you also need to serve as the centerpiece of your loved one’s caregiving universe, gathering and coordinating information from doctors and other healthcare experts, service providers, and others in your loved one’s caregiving “village”.
Coping With the Coming Holidays
For caregivers of a loved one with Alzheimer’s, navigating the holiday season can come with challenges. The key to success is to be prepared. Here are some tips on how to get ready.
Keeping Your Balance
While change is inevitable, how you respond to these changes is under your control, and can make a big difference for you and your loved one. Here are some ideas to help you maintain balance in your life emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Is It Safe To Leave My Loved One Alone?
One of the biggest responsibilities that comes with caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease is keeping them safe. This can be challenging as Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, and so it can be hard to know when your loved one’s capabilities have declined to the point that you can no longer leave them alone by themselves in the house while you run an errand, for example, without risking a safety hazard.
Communicating with Your Caregiving Village
It is important to effectively communicate with healthcare professionals, outside experts, and helpers you rely on to give your loved one the best possible care along this journey.
Coping with Changing Behavior
For caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer's disease, coping with change can be a major challenge. As the disease progresses and ravages the mind, your loved one can experience a range of behavioral and psychological changes including bouts of agitation, aggression, anxiety, depression, and hallucinations. Review this list of strategies today and you will be better prepared to face your loved one’s challenging mood or behavior in the future.
Managing Day-to-Day
For caregivers, managing day-to-day activities can be burdensome. Here are some strategies that can help make these tasks easier.
You Are Not Alone!
Every caregiver will reach a point where they feel utterly alone. You may feel isolated, at your wit’s end, and overwhelmed by the long journey ahead. At times like these you need to remember that you are not alone! Your NAN Navigator is there to help you get the resources you need to move forward to a new day. Some of those resources are right here, in your community.
Managing Difficult Behaviors
Some of caregivers’ greatest challenges come from the mood, personality, and behavior changes that occur as Alzheimer’s progresses. We recommend handling these situations with a clear understanding that this behavior is not directed at you, but rather is caused by the biological impact of your loved one’s Alzheimer’s disease on their brain.
Time to Get Organized!
It’s the beginning of the new year, and it’s never too early to begin to get organized for the months to follow. After all, it’s a little cooler, the holidays are behind us, and spring, the time of rejuvenation, is just around the corner. For many people, perhaps yourself included, this is a time for general organizing of the household: Getting rid of clothes and other items that are no longer needed, re-organizing the kitchen, and in general trying to simplify your life.
Thanks, Partner!
As part of our ongoing partnership, our Navigators are continually listening for your feedback about topics that you’d like more information about, for example. And because we’re all about partnerships in the NAN offices, this information is shared among our team to help them plan our content production schedule for the website. As a result of your collaborative efforts, we have several new content offerings for you to check out, which we’ve created in response to your requests.
Your Greatest Hits!
Looking at the top 10 articles for 2002 — the “greatest hits” of the year — I can see some very positive patterns emerging among your interests. In turn, these patterns will help guide us in creating even more content in these areas in the future. Here are a few highlights from the most-viewed articles of 2022.