Memory Loss - A Dementia & Alzheimer's Reality

One of the key reasons I started this blog was to provide a portal of information for caregivers of loved ones with Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. My level of expertise is derived from my current role as caregiver for my grandmother. There are many care professionals who have made a career caring for Alzheimer's and Dementia patients. I am always thankful when I am able to receive nuggets of knowledge from those professionals.

Jean Bandos, MSN, RN, GCNS-BC Research Director at My Health Care Manager, is one such individual, whose wisdom on memory loss and caregiving I would like to share.

Some areas that may indicate a decline in memory function are:

• Forgetfulness - not just forgetting names or appointments, but frequently forgetting doctor’s appointments, important anniversaries, birthdays and other special dates that would have never been forgotten in the past.
• Forgetting to the point that it causes confusion and interruption with daily activities.
  
• Forgetting to turn off the stove – we have all left a burner on accidentally, but if this is a frequent event or if the older adult does not remember cooking at all, then it is no longer a “normal” part of aging.
  
• Everyone experiences difficulties finding the right words, especially in stressful situations. It’s a bigger issue when an older adult cannot remember simple words and substitutes his or her own words making it difficult to follow what they are saying.
  
• Misplacing items is common for everybody, but it becomes a “memory problem” if the keys are found in the freezer or the ice tray is in the dryer.
  
• Finances – there is a problem if a senior has always kept an accurate checkbook in the past and now it never balances.
  
• Impaired judgment, such as dressing appropriately. This does not mean the senior is mixing plaids and strips, or purples and reds, but is caught wearing a bathrobe to the shopping mall or putting on several shirts instead of one.

Some potential causes of memory loss or cognitive decline:

• Medication with polypharmacy and drug interactions- if an older adult is on multiple medications and is experiencing memory issues, they should have a pharmacist or physician assess each medication.
  
• Infection- i.e. Urinary Tract Infection –is often a primary cause for memory decline. Urinary tract infection is the most frequent cause.
  
• Dehydration- not drinking enough water will cause memory decline.
  
• Emotional stress or depression – with the elderly a diagnosis of dementia is sometimes given when it is actually depression. If true depression is treated then memory should return.
  
• Pain is under-reported in elderly and causes a decline in memory.
  
• Alcoholism can cause serious memory loss.
  
• Memory loss- Key things to Remember:
  
• Be alert - document signs of memory loss and circumstances
  
• Notice if the memory loss is affecting activities of daily living such as planning, organizing and making decisions about every day functions.

If there is a memory decline/loss be sure to be evaluated by physician

• Keep record of all medications including prescriptions, over the counter, herbs, and vitamins
  
• Understand the difference between delirium and dementia
  
• Learn to identify and manage stressful situations
  

It’s a huge challenge for those taking care of loved ones with some sort of cognitive decline. Caregivers are constantly faced with the need to help their aging family or friends address health concerns. This can be especially difficult for caregivers who are responsible for explaining to their loved ones that they are suffering from memory loss.

Jean is an experienced Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist with a vast expertise in care management of the older adult. My Health Care Manager is a national company that helps seniors and their families manage the complexities of older adult life with unbiased professional guidance related to health and independence. For more information and advice, please visit www.myhealthcaremanager.com or call My Health Care Manager’s network of nurses at 1-800-499-8020.

Caregiver's Share

The wonderful thing about caregivers is that we are giving people, if not, we would not be caregivers. For the duration of this blog, Dementia Thoughts, I have chronicled and shared my caregiving experience. As I think back over the years, I found it very inspiring when people stopped by and commented about their experiences.

I would like to open my blog each week to other caregivers. I invite you to submit a story about your caregiving experience - funny, inspiring, even sad, it does not matter. We are a community and we are here for you. Each week, I will select one story and post here on Dementia Thoughts. 

Please provide the following information:

1. Title of Story (post)
2. Story
3. Your name
4. Contact information - (email address and phone number). This information will not be posted, shared, or sold to anyone.
5. Country where you live and State if you are comfortable with this information being posted.
6. A picture, if applicable to the story.

Forward your story, including all of the information requested above, to dementiathoughts@yahoo.com.  I will notify you via email when your story is posted.

Thank you for sharing your caregiver stories. We grow by experience - one at a time.

Nikki

The Art of Doing Nothing

So, I am reading a new "self help" book. I'm an avid reader who usually shys away from self-help. However, with school, I have completed little to no reading for pleasure only reading for school. The solution... instead of the 300 to 400 page fiction novel I am used to, perhaps I can read a much small book. Less than 100 pages without a continuous storyline, which works well with my frequent reading interruptions.

Back to the beginning... I am reading a new "self help" book titled The Art of Doing Nothing, by Veronique Vienne. Considering, I rarely have time for personal restoration, the book seemed apropos. I have always found reading for pleasure to be therapeutic. Along with shopping and comfort food. I hope to find tips within this little book that I can utilize as well as pass on to others.

Here is an editorial review from Amazon.com:

"Much more than merely a book about nothing, this is a concentrated guide to cultivating a sense of serenity. Simple living expert Sarah Ban Breathnach calls it a "charming prescription for harried hearts and overwrought minds" that's "filled with persuasive reminders that we do too much and live too little." From its bits of well-taken wisdom ("Learn to say, 'I don't know,'"), to tranquil seaside photos, to little lessons on how to meditate, procrastinate, even turn a bath or wine tasting into intensely spiritual experiences, The Art of Doing Nothing is bound to help even the most high-strung, PalmPilot-toting folks remember exactly how it feels to fully relax." --Erica Jorgensen

Here is a call to other caregivers - in what activities do you partake that provide restoration to you? Spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally...

Last Week's Caregiver Tip - 2/29/08

Tell the person you care for that the car is broken and cannot be repaired; this may prevent them from getting agitated when losing their driving privileges.


~WebMd

Last Week's Caregiver Tip - 2/22/08

I always love to receive some good advice. Each week I will feature a new tip from webMD. At that time I will post the previous week's tip for archiving. I hope you find the tips as useful as I do.

"The task of dressing can be quite complicated. Just try to break the act of dressing down into short, simple steps."

webMD
Week Ending 2/22/08