SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
The impact of the social realm on your Loved One can make a big difference in their health and happiness. Here’s how you can help cope with the challenges and opportunities.
People who socially connect with others have improved brain function, such as better memory, and are less likely to develop dementia than those who are more socially isolated. Here are some tips for increasing social engagment.
Visiting your loved one in a facility has its joys, but it can also have its challenges. Here is some guidance.
When choosing an assisted living facility, research and guidance from a placement advisor are valuable, but it’s still important to take a tour in person. This allows you to see things firsthand and begin to make connections to the facility staff who will be caring for your loved one. Here’s a guide.
Travel can be an especially challenging activity for your loved one. Still, with careful planning and consideration, you can make the journey safe and comfortable for you and your loved one.
Adult day centers offer supervised care and activities that are tailored to meet the needs of people living with Alzheimer's. Adult day services can help provide respite to caregivers, while at the same time ensuring that your loved one receives safe, compassionate, and attentive care. Here’s a guide to how to find the right fit for your loved one.
Exercise can have enormous benefits. However, keeping your loved one with Alzheimer's disease motivated to exercise and do physical therapy can be a real challenge. After all, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that leads to loss of memory issues, mood swings, and multiple physical limitations. Here are some strategies you can use to encourage them.
Caring for a loved one with Parkinson’s disease should not keep you both from traveling. With some careful planning and following some simple guidelines, you and your loved one can enjoy a stress-free traveling experience. Here’s how.
Holidays are traditionally a spirited, happy time, but they can be challenging for caregivers, their loved ones, and their families and friends. There are ways to help maintain the enjoyment of the holiday time, however, and let everyone focus on the family ― even if one of the family has Alzheimer’s Disease. Here are some tips.
There are two main reasons your loved one may be having trouble with vision. First, everyone has changes in their vision as they get older. Cataracts are the most common affliction and lead to “cloudy vision” with a slow reduction in people’s ability to see. Secondly, our loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders (ADRD) are likely to lack the ability to understand what they see or remember what a particular item is used for. Given these changes, customizing enjoyable activities for your loved one with low vision abilities might take some trial and error to find the right fit.
Games work to stave off dementia, strengthen critical thinking skills, and promote brain health. What kind of game works best?
Helping to provide a “good day” can be a challenge if you, the primary caregiver, cannot be there because of work or other commitments. Here are some tips on how to give your loved one a satisfying day.
Having to give up a driver’s license represents a great loss of freedom, and can be difficult emotionally for your loved one. Here’s how to cope.
Journaling has shown to provide relief from grief and anger, reduce depression, improve self-care, and enhance relationships when used with adults in mental healthcare settings. Here’s how to encourage your loved one to start.
Documenting your life story to share with your family and friends can be a great way to preserve precious memories, help family members to connect, and provide insight into family stories and culture.
If you are one of the seven million caregivers who live more than an hour from the person in your care, you are very prone to additional stress and anxiety. Here are some tips to get the best outcome for you and your loved one.