The 4 A’s of Alzheimer’s

Whether your loved one was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, or they’ve been dealing with the condition for a while now, you may have questions about what to expect and how you can support them.

In a previous interview, Judy Kanelos of Safe-T Home Care discussed the four A’s of Alzheimer’s: agitation, anxiety, aggression, and apathy. She also shared signs that caregivers should look for, as well as practical tips to guide seniors through the mental and emotional changes this condition brings.

Below, you’ll find more information about each of the four A’s of Alzheimer’s — and how you can help your loved one navigate this disease. 

To read or listen to our original interview with Judy Kanelos, please click here.

1. Agitation

How They May Feel or Act

Your family member is losing their ability to process new information and stimuli, which is understandably quite frustrating for them. As a result, they may get agitated as they struggle to express what they think or feel. Loud noises, hunger, lack of sleep, pain, and simply being too hot or too cold can set off agitation in your loved one.

Dealing with loss or change can also frustrate and overwhelm your family member. For example, they probably miss the freedom of driving, or the ease of remembering people and events. Your loved one may also experience depression as they face the reality of growing older and navigating the challenges that Alzheimer’s brings.

How You Can Help Them

One of the best things you can do for your loved one is to make sure they’re comfortable. Try asking them questions (calmly, and one at a time) to figure out what they need to feel better. Are they tired, hungry, thirsty, or in pain? Do they need to use the restroom? Is the house too warm or too cold?

Limiting stimulation and potential triggers can also help you prevent agitation in your loved one. For instance, if a TV show in the background will overstimulate or distract them, turn off the television and have a conversation with them. Listen to their frustrations, and let your family member know you’re there for them.

2. Anxiety

How They May Feel or Act

Someone with Alzheimer’s may become restless and want to pace or move around. Your loved one might also feel exhausted and scared from trying to make sense of the confusing world around them. Or, they may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, making them even more prone to exhaustion and anxiety.

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, your loved one will probably be anxious about the seriousness of the disease, as well as the loss of memory and independence they’ll face. Later on, they may feel anxious about being left alone or knowing a change in routine is coming — even if they can’t remember what that change is.

How You Can Help Them

Support your loved one by creating a calm, safe home environment. They’ll have peace of mind knowing they can relax in their own house. If they’re fidgety, giving them a soft toy to keep their hands busy can help. You can also guide your family member through a few safe and easy exercises so they can burn off some energy.

Your loved one will also appreciate you giving them as much independence as possible. Let them feed, bathe, and dress themselves for as long as they can. When the time comes for you to step in and assist them, doing these things at the same time each day or week will help your loved one adjust to the change.

3. Aggression

How They May Feel or Act

It’s challenging to cope with a loved one who can be verbally or physically aggressive, whether that’s due to a challenging situation or for no apparent reason. Alzheimer’s-related aggression can come from pain, physical discomfort, a loud or unfamiliar environment, and/or poor communication or frustration from their caregiver.

Additionally, your loved one’s inability to remember something may frustrate them to the point where they can get violent. They might start throwing things or acting belligerent and unkind. They don’t mean to be aggressive, but it’s important to protect yourself and your loved one in these situations so nobody gets hurt.

How You Can Help Them

Make sure your loved one feels comfortable, calm, and safe (like you’d do for an agitated senior). One way to do this is by playing music to soothe your family member and redirect their focus to a favorite song or two. If you think your own stress or irritability is setting off their aggression, take a deep breath and try to relax.

If necessary, stay a safe distance away from your loved one until their aggressive behavior stops — using a soft, positive tone of voice as you reassure them that everything’s okay. At the same time, try to keep them in your line of sight, so you can ensure they don’t accidentally hurt themselves.

4. Apathy

How They May Feel or Act

You may notice that a loved one with Alzheimer’s has become less energetic, sociable, and/or motivated to do things they used to enjoy. They’ve likely developed apathy, with symptoms that may include: 

• Not having the energy for daily tasks, such as brushing their teeth or showering
• Relying on others to organize activities
• Being uninterested in talking to new people or joining conversations
• Seeming unemotional or detached when they hear about news or personal events

It’s easy to confuse apathy with depression (which some Alzheimer’s patients also struggle with), but apathetic people will simply have low energy, not low mood. If your loved one is depressed, they might have low self-esteem or feel sad, tearful, and/or hopeless.

How You Can Help Them

Break down routines into small, manageable steps that help your family member feel a sense of accomplishment once they complete a task. For example, if bathing is overwhelming to your loved one, you can split up this task into a few steps: going into the bathroom, running water, removing clothing, and stepping into the bath or shower. 

You can also engage your family member in activities they enjoy, such as crafting, listening to music, or taking a walk. Above all, don’t accuse them of being lazy or uncaring. We know it’s hard to cope with apathy in a loved one, but try to remember that they’re not choosing to be disengaged or unenergetic.

We hope this information helps you feel more prepared as you guide your loved one through the four A’s of Alzheimer’s. 

Caring for a family member is one of the most loving and selfless things you’ll ever do — and you don’t have to do it alone. It’s not always easy to ask for help, but working with an in-home care provider can give you peace of mind as you:

• Honor your loved one’s need to be independent.
• Enjoy a non-caregiver relationship with them again.
• Keep them safe at home, even when you can’t be there.

Safe-T Home Care is an in-home care agency in Monticello, Indiana. We provide transportation, financial planning, and other services so your loved ones can stay safe and independent at home. For more information, visit our website or like us on Facebook.

The post The 4 A’s of Alzheimer’s appeared first on Safe T Home Care | In Home Care.

As we age, our activity level and mental acuity begin to change. Keeping your parents’ memory fresh in their later years may require changes to their regular daily routine—like new activities, objects, and elements. As their senses begin to fade, it is key to focus on their five senses:

• Sight
• Smell
• Touch
• Taste
• Sound

By stimulating their senses, you’re giving your parents a way to communicate and recall positive memories. Using familiar objects can help your loved ones focus on one sense at a time, especially when you connect the items to activities and hobbies that they enjoyed prior to the memory issues.

With dementia and other conditions that impact memory, older adults can experience confusion and struggle to cope with the changes in their daily life. Familiar items can help them feel safe and secure in a world that is becoming less and less recognizable. On the flip side, slowly introducing objects and can let your loved ones build new connections to everyday life.

It’s important to keep track of how your parents react to new stimuli. Some objects may cause stress, so be prepared to alter the activity or move to a different sense to find an object that elicits a positive response. Here are a few simple tips for keeping your parents’ memory fresh by focusing on their five senses:

Sight

Sight stimulation encompasses light, color, shape, motion, or a combination of these that encourages us to observe objects. Bright colors and art can be an effective element to release frustration and even just start a conversation. Inspire your loved ones to use their sense of sight with these activities:

• Photos of loved ones
• Newspapers or magazines
• Nature documentaries
• Bird feeders
• Fish tanks
• Wall clocks
• Mobile phones

Smell

Scent can transport us back to fond memories and remind us of good times with friends and family. Using specific smells can help your loved ones recall the positive memories and moments in their life. Appeal to your parents’ sense of smell with a few of these stimulants:

• Aromatherapy
• Scented LED candles (battery operated)
• Scented hand lotions and soaps
• Cooking smells, like baking bread or pies
• Fresh flowers

Touch

Every object we touch has a color, texture, temperature, and shape. By adding new objects into your parents’ regular routine, you’re stimulating their tactile sense and encouraging the use of multiple areas in the brain. Incorporate physical touch with objects like these:

• Hugs
• Pet therapy with dogs, cats, or rabbits
• Dolls & stuffed animals
• Fuzzy blankets or pillows
• A jewelry box with large broaches, watches, belt buckles, etc.
• Hand or foot massages

Taste

Foods can be a great way of keeping your parents’ memory fresh and reminding them of happy memories, just like their sense of smell. Preparing special meals from your childhood and your parents’ childhood can stir up positive emotions. Use your loved ones’ sense of taste to stimulate joyful memories and feelings with these foods:

• Familiar food from childhood
• Sweet treats, like lollipops or chocolate
• Herbal and flavored tea
• Ice cream or popsicles
• Small sips of carbonated drinks

Sound

Listening to music or playing calming sounds can be a great way to stimulate pleasant memories. However, it’s important to remember that some noise can be irritating to those suffering from memory loss. Keep personal preferences of music and the volume at a suitable level when using these options to stimulate your parents’ auditory sense:

• Favorite music
• Instruments, like a piano
• Wind chimes
• Sound machines
• Podcast or audiobooks

If you’ve noticed signs of memory loss in your parents, you may want to add new objects and activities for keeping their minds fresh. Losing memory is difficult, but you can help ease your parents’ disorientation with the right stimulation and care.

Finding objects and hobbies that your parents still enjoy can take time, so if you need help with other care responsibilities, you may consider hiring an expert. Then, you can spend much-needed quality time talking with your loved ones, enjoying new activities together, and providing emotional support to help them feel connected with the world again.

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 website or like us on Facebook.

The post Wise Souls, Young Minds: Tips for Keeping Your Parents’ Memory Fresh appeared first on Safe T Home Care | In Home Care.

If you have a loved one who is fighting memory loss, it can be frustrating for him or her and challenging for you to find creative ways to help your relative increase his or her self-worth. However, music therapy might be something that will add joy back into his or her daily routine.

Research suggests listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. For example, music can relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and keep agitation at bay. Songs provide a way for your loved one to connect with others, even after verbal communication has become difficult. Music is also powerful because it can spark memories and feelings.

If you’d like to use music to help a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, consider these tips:

1. Identify music that’s familiar and enjoyable to your loved one.

If possible, let the person choose the music or ask what his or her favorite songs were/are. If that’s not feasible, try to think about your loved one’s preferences or play songs and see how he or she responds. Ask yourself what kind of music he or she enjoys, or what music evokes memories of happy times in his or her life. It may be easier to pick some popular songs most people know. Some recognizable tunes may be:

• “Singing in the Rain” by Gene Kelly
• “You Are My Sunshine” by Jimmie Davis
• “Amazing Grace” by various artists
• “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King
• “Moon River” by Andy Williams
• “Can’t Buy Me Love” by the Beatles
• “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
• “Peggy Sue” by Buddy Holly

To find out more, try asking other family members or friends around the same age. You can also reflect on concerts and shows your relative has attended. Engage him or her, if possible, by asking what he or she remembers about the song. It may remind him or her of a person or joyful moment.

2. Use music to cheer up or calm your relative.

Music can shift a person’s feelings, manage stress, and stimulate positive interaction. A tranquil piece of music can help you create a calm environment for your relative, while a faster-paced song from someone’s childhood may boost his or her spirit and evoke happy memories. You may try calming your loved one during mealtime or a morning hygiene routine by playing or singing soothing music. When you’d like to boost your loved one’s mood, try more upbeat music.

3. Encourage movement.

Helping your loved one move to the music may add to his or her enjoyment of listening to and singing the song. It’s important to guide your relative through the movements, which can range from tapping a foot and humming a tune to clapping and dancing. This is a great way to add aerobic activity to your loved one’s routine and help improve his or her mood. Therapists who add exercise and dance movements to music say it soon becomes a favorite activity for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.

4. Avoid sensory overload.

When playing music, you should eliminate competing noises. Some ways to do this are shutting windows and doors and turning off the television. You’ll also want to avoid overstimulation and set the volume based on your loved one’s hearing ability (so it’s not too loud or too quiet).

Try to find music that isn’t interrupted by commercials, which can cause confusion. Radio stations have frequent advertisements and commentary, so CDs, iTunes playlists, and internet radio sites like Pandora or Spotify might be better options. If others are in the room, ask them to avoid conversations unless they are helping you with music therapy.

5. Sing along, but pay attention to your loved one’s response.

By singing along with your loved one, you can assist in boosting his or her mood while enhancing your relationship. Some early studies also suggest musical memory functions differently from other types of memory, and singing can stimulate unique memories. Songs are engaging, and they allow one to feel more comfortable (and enjoy life a little more!). Music also requires little to no mental processing, so singing does not require the cognitive function that is not present in most dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.

An important note: If your loved one seems to enjoy particular songs, play and sing them often. But if he or she reacts negatively to a particular tune or type of music, choose something else. You’ll want to closely observe your relative’s responses to music so you can keep him or her feeling peaceful.

Music is not only engaging and enjoyable, but it may also have a profound effect on loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. With these tips, you can help your relative stay calm and maybe even recall a happy memory or two.

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 website or like us on Facebook.

The post Tips for Using Music to Help a Loved One with Dementia or Alzheimer’s appeared first on Safe T Home Care | In Home Care.

10 Activities for a Parent with Alzheimer’s

Finding activities for a parent with Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult. However, once you understand how the disease’s four major symptoms affect your loved one, you can begin to adapt their routine and add activities that focus on helping them in these areas.

When monitoring the progression of Alzheimer’s, it’s common to discuss the four A’s.

• Amnesia, or memory loss
• Aphasia, or impaired communication
• Apraxia, or impaired motor skills
• Agnosia, or inability to experience sensory information

When planning activities for your parent, it’s a great idea to try to address the four A’s. Many of the activities we’ve recommended below provide opportunities to guide your loved one in building their memory, communication ability, motor skills, and sensory reception. This can help slow the progress of Alzheimer’s and decrease its daily impact on your family member.

Taking the time each week to try these 10 activities for a parent with Alzheimer’s can help you feel more confident you’re providing your loved one with what they need to live a happy, healthy life.

1. Listen to music.

Music can relieve stress for anyone but is especially important for those with Alzheimer’s. Your loved ones may feel a great deal of anxiety, depression, and agitation at different times throughout their daily routine. Calming music can make tasks easier and let them feel more at peace.

Additionally, research suggests music can help patients remember more. Alzheimer’s disease does not harm the part of the brain that forms and stores musical memories. This means playing your parent’s favorite songs may jog their memory.

New technology in home automation can help your parents access music with ease. Consider making an outline with commands for an Amazon Alexa or a Google Home they would enjoy using. Write out a script for what they should say to find their favorite songs, apps, or TV channels and to control volume.

2. Do a puzzle or crossword.

A daily puzzle or crossword not only contributes to Mom or Dad’s routine but also keeps their problem-solving skills fresh. Studies now suggest doing puzzles throughout life can lead to a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s altogether. But a parent who’s already suffering from the disease will still benefit from these mental exercises. You can find large-print puzzles in most grocery or general stores.

3. Do light chores.

While your aging parent may have some difficulty moving around, working together to complete some light chores around the house can let them feel useful. Whether they can stand and sweep the kitchen or simply sit and fold a few pieces of laundry, completing chores can help those with Alzheimer’s retain these life skills.

There are ways to adapt chores to make them easier. For example, mark important buttons on washers and dryers with raised button stickers, or clearly label hot and cold water sources with red and blue nail polish.

4. Take a walk.

Weather permitting, a short walk outdoors can be a great way to get some exercise and refresh your parent’s memory regarding places and directions in the neighborhood. When you’re walking, be sure to take it slow so your loved one can avoid any exhaustion or confusion.

If you want your family member to get exercise, but have limited time and know they can’t go alone, there are experts that can help. Companion services are available to accompany your loved one on their stroll in the fresh air.

5. Work in the garden.

Planting and tending to a garden can be a rewarding task for a parent with Alzheimer’s. Depending on the space available and your loved one’s mobility, you can build a window box, a planter, or a flowerbed in the yard. Raised boxes are especially great for helping them avoid bending down or getting on the ground. You and your parent can enjoy the food or beauty resulting from your hard work.

6. Make a family tree.

Making a creative family tree may let you remind your parent of loved ones near and far. This can be a fun activity for everyone in the family and can help Mom or Dad’s memory by giving everyone a chance to go through pictures from the past with your parent. You can even frame and hang the family tree on the wall as a piece of decor to continually enjoy.

7. Reminisce with them.

Set aside time every few days to work with your parent and think about significant events or ideas from the past. Talk with them about their parents and grandparents, their home town, their school, their first boyfriend, or their best friends. Whether it’s items they encounter every day or fun trips your family enjoyed together, reminiscing on different categories can help your parent keep their memory working as much as possible.

8. Write a letter.  

Writing is an excellent way to practice a life skill and get your loved one thinking. It’s okay if you have to assist them with writing or holding the pen, but try encouraging them to speak to their loved one in their own words. By corresponding with friends or family, they can feel connected to those outside their home and reap the reward of getting a letter back.

9. Bake bread.

Baking is a great way to set aside time for your parent to go through a step-by-step process and get moving with mixing and kneading. This can let them feel useful around the house because they have the opportunity to accomplish something—and you’ll both enjoy the outcome!

10. Try arts and crafts.

From folding paper dolls to coloring a picture, arts and crafts can be a soothing, productive way to help Mom or Dad exercise cognitive and motor skills. They may enjoy everything from painting to crocheting, so be sure to provide plenty of options and support. Wanting to challenge your parent a bit? Have them color American flag picture correctly as a small way to work on motor skills and memory.

Adding these 10 things to your parent’s daily routine can allow you to address the four A’s of Alzheimer’s to make each day a little easier for your loved one.

We know giving up a caregiver role can be tough. If you want your family member to have additional care while you help them by providing companionship and love, don’t hesitate to contact a care team. In-home experts can provide necessary care and supervision, even doing activities like these with your parent. You can ensure your loved one is happy and safe while finding a little extra balance in your own life.

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 website or like us on Facebook.

The post 10 Activities for a Parent with Alzheimer’s appeared first on Safe T Home Care | In Home Care.

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.

The post What are the four A’s of Alzheimer’s? appeared first on Safe T Home Care | In Home Care.