What are the four A’s of Alzheimer’s?

Dan McKay, president and founder of Dan McKay Media, sat down with Judy Kanelos, executive director of Safe-T Home Care, to learn more about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. To hear the audio clip of their interview, and to read the transcript, please see below.

DAN MCKAY: Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is extremely challenging, but the more you know about this disease, the more you’ll be able to help. We’re here with Judy Kanelos of Safe-T Home Care to learn about the four A’s of Alzheimer’s—and how to guide your loved one. Judy, what are the four A’s of Alzheimer’s?

JUDY KANELOS: Agitation, anxiety, aggression, and apathy.

DAN: Could you walk us through each stage and how they affect the client?

JUDY: Agitation—a lot of times, clients get so upset because they can’t remember something and it really bothers them. So, they get very very agitated, to the point where they can get violent. They can start throwing things, or they just get belligerent. You—as a caregiver, you have to look past all that, and you realize it’s just the disease, not really them. It’s their disease that’s affecting their behavior.

DAN: What are the signs of each stage that caregivers should look for?

JUDY: Agitation, where they can’t sit still. For example, I know my loved one, she has it, she was very agitated to the point where she would throw things, she would talk nasty. She would actually try and leave or hurt herself. Also, anxiety, you know they forget, they forget things so they get very anxious. If you tell them—number one, if you tell them at the beginning of your visit that “We’re going out today,” they get very anxious about that. Even though they don’t remember, they know something’s going on, so they just get very anxious. Which makes it harder and hard to be a caregiver because of how anxious they are.

DAN: What are some pre-amnesia changes in the loved one that caregivers should also look for?

JUDY: Just different things like, for example, you have a stove, and all of a sudden, you walk into the kitchen and you see that the burner’s on. You didn’t turn it on. It’s just little bits and pieces that the client, as their brain is slowly deteriorating, they do different things and can’t explain why. So, as a caregiver, you need to note all of this. You need to let the family know of any signs, different signs that you see that are abnormal, just so everybody can be aware of what’s going on. And if you feel it’s truly, truly a big change in the client, then you need to notify the family right away, and they need to schedule a neuro eval.

DAN: Moving onto the emotional side of Alzheimer’s…what sort of emotions do these clients express?

JUDY: Depression. A lot of them are so depressed that they can’t wait to die. And they talk about wanting to die. I, for a fact, know this—I have a ninety-five-year-old mother who, for fifty years of my life, talked about how much she wanted to die. And this was long before she got Alzheimer’s. But it does get worse when Alzheimer’s does hit the client. They’re depressed; they feel they have no life anymore; they feel that they’re wasted space. It’s actually very sad.

DAN: What are some examples of anxiety or apathy caregivers may see from their loved ones?

JUDY: Anxiety, like I said, anxiety where, you know, they’re looking forward to seeing somebody, but they get very agitated and it has to be now. They get very forgetful; they can get verbally abusive.

DAN: Judy, what practical tips do you have for caregivers to help their loved ones through these changes in mental states and emotions?

JUDY: Don’t take everything personal. If one of your loved ones says something, they don’t know what they’re saying. It can be very hurtful. I know, I can speak from experience from doing it for so long. My mother was downright verbally abusive. But I knew—and yes, I would cry because I knew that wasn’t her. Some of the things she said, I knew wasn’t her; it was the disease talking. It took a long time for me to accept the fact that it’s a disease. It’s not the person that you know and love. It’s the disease talking, not them. So, as a caregiver, and as the family of your loved ones, I would say don’t take it to heart. Think of the good times you had with your loved one. Think about how your loved one was before this disease struck. It’s very, very sad that our loved ones have to go through it. And who knows? We may have to go through it someday. But I know personally, I had a great support team. I had my children and my husband who supported me, who helped me with my mother. Not only my mother, but my in-laws. My children at the time were in high school, they experienced this: taking care of their grandparents. And it made them better people for it. And it’s something that I feel that every family—which is sad to say—every family needs to go through caring for a loved one. It makes you appreciate what you have and how long you have these people in your life.

DAN: Judy, thank you so much for taking the time to walk us through this. And for our listeners, please remember that you don’t have to make this journey alone. Caregiving for your loved one is a great calling, but it’s also okay to ask for help when you need it. To learn more, please visit Safe-T Home Care dot com.

JUDY: Just remember you have a life. Your family, your loved ones have all lived their lives. They’re not asking you to give up yours. Just remember that.

Safe-T Home Care is an in-home care agency in Monticello, Indiana. We provide services such as transportation, personal care, and companionship to your loved ones so they can remain safely at home and maintain as much independence as possible. For more information, please visit our home page or like us on Facebook.