Helpful Hints from Caregivers

• Get over your fear of asking for help. Everyone wants to help you. 
• Don’t turn down any offer of help. If someone wants to bake you a cake and you don’t like cake, take it anyway. 
• Arrange with another couple to have one of them stay with your spouse while you and your friend go to a funny movie. 
• If your loved one wants to “go home” to another place, reply, “Can’t we stay here one more night? I’m having such a good time!”  
• If your loved one is sad, ask him why, discuss it briefly, then get him involved in an activity.  
• Read Gail Sheehy’s new book, Passages in Caregiving.  
• Pray with friends about your mutual needs. 
• Start a journal with your thoughts, activities, prayers, and things for which you are thankful.

Do you have hints you would like to share with fellow caregivers?  Click on "Post a Comment" below.  You may remain anonymous.

Helpful Hints for Caregivers

Personal hygiene - When he is shaving, I have a toothbrush with paste sitting on the sink. It works if I don't try it too often. Taking a shower is a big problem, so I suggest we take one together so he can wash my back. This works well most of the time.

Work - I fill the sink with soapy water and dirty dishes rather than load the dishwasher all the time. Once they have been put in the cupboard, I check them and rewash when necessary. If he puts dishes in the wrong place, I reorganize when he is not around. I let him get involved in reorganizing kitchen drawers and folding laundry also.

Play - I love photography, so we go on "photo shoots" together around the area. He loves reading poetry so we take poems to the beach, and he reads them aloud to me. Short stories are good too. He is a good dancer - this is something he can do well so he has a sense of pride.

He is getting more and more dependent on me emotionally and doesn't like me to go off without him. When I went to a garden walk with a friend, her husband stopped by and spent some time with him.

I need more ideas on how to keep us both happy while I have some "away time." Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Every morning I pray for patience and kindness toward him and for solutions to specific problems we are facing. All of the ideas above are the result of not knowing what to do and asking God for guidance.

--Anonymous

If you have suggestions for this caregiver or any other helpful hints, please post a comment. You may remain anonymous. We may use some of the hints in our next newsletter.

November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month

As this is Alzheimer's awareness month, I'm going to ask each of you to do one thing this month to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease.
-Share your personal story with a person or a group who hasn't heard it before.
-Start a conversation about Alzheimer's awareness--at church, synagogue, civic organization, bridge club, lunch group, wherever you can.
-If you know someone who is showing signs of dementia and it appears their family isn't facing it, give to one family member the guide from National Institute on Aging, CARING FOR A PERSON WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
-If you're a teacher, ask your class what they know about Alzheimer's and encourage them to learn about it and be aware that some of their friends might have grandparents with Alzheimer's.
-Read our Board president's message in our recent newsletter (see our website), and consider one of the suggestions for helping individuals with Alzheimer's stay connected to the community.
-Contact a local nursing or assisted living residence and offer to volunteer one day this month.
-If you're a caregiver, take one day for yourself to do something special for YOU.

WanderGuard(R) System

Has anyone had experience with the WanderGuard System or another alarm system designed specifically to restrict someone from leaving the home?

Post your questions, comments or any helpful suggestions for caregivers that you would like to share.