It's common to have many questions when a loved one has dementia.

You will find answers here for many of your questions.

Why Mom’s Shoes Need No Strings Attached

Shoe strings are a nuisance and I have often wondered why they didn’t create Velcro before Stings. From the time we are young children, shoe strings are a royal pain.

It takes forever to teach small children to tie shoe strings and if you think about it, it is a fairly contorted process. Not to mention how many times we must re-tie a single set of shoe strings in a single day.

We cope with shoe strings for our entire life, tying them, tripping over them, and adding nail polish to frayed ends because they will no longer thread through the eyelets. Uh oh, did I just “tell” my age.

As we age, it becomes more and more difficult to tie shoe strings; arthritic fingers that balk at twists and ties, weight gain that makes propping a foot on a knee near impossible, and memory loss that makes childhood games of twist and loop a lost memory.

Just as quickly as the darn shoe strings are tied, they are untied! Then we start the whole rigmarole over again, or trip and fall because we didn’t know they were untied in the first place!

Give them up! Get rid of them!

The World is a better place for the elderly without Shoe Strings!

It’s the Holiday! Do you need a Gift Idea?

Buy Mom a new pair of shoes!

~~No Strings included~~

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Mens Slippers or Walking Shoes

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The Sage Test – An Easy test to Monitor your Cognitive Abilities

01/112 Comments

The Sage Test – An Easy test to Monitor Your Cognitive Abilities

The biggest problem with Alzheimer’s, (other than not having a cure) has always been that most folks aren’t diagnosed until they are far into the middle stages. Many of the signs and symptoms can be attributed to normal aging and may be neglected until it becomes much worse.

My mother was so far into the disease by the time she was diagnosed that the standard drugs used to slow the progression no longer worked for her.

Mom had hearing problems and we tended to blame poor hearing for many of her issues with conversations and other cognitive problems. To make matters worse, she did not want to wear her hearing aid so that served to reinforce our beliefs. Surely, Mom’s problem was nothing more serious than a deaf ear.

So we were in a constant battle to fix her problem which we saw as a lack of hearing, instead of searching for the real answer to Mom’s problems. Alzheimer’s Dementia.

The first time we took her the doctor for all the issues she was having, they gave her a simple word test and we knew, right away, she had Alzheiemer’s.

The SAGE Test: A Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam (SAGE) is designed to detect early signs of cognitive, memory or thinking impairments. It evaluates your thinking abilities and helps physicians to know how well your brain is working. – You can learn more from the video below or download the Sage test for yourself at this link: Ohio State University

Then take the completed test with you for your next appointment with your physisican. It will help your Doctor know how you’re doing cognitively

The Video below shows how this test works and the benefits that can be gained by an earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Dementia

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A List of Recommended Reading by Category

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Best Books about Alzheimer’s Dementia by Category

One of the first things I did after my Mom’s diagnosis was to gather a stockpile of books. I had no idea how to handle her odd behavior or cope with my severe fatigue from arguing with her with little nor no results..

Reading and learning is important! It will improve your disposition and turn everything around for you, the caregiver. If the person with dementia is still able to read it will help them too. Being in the dark about all that is happening doesn’t help anyone.

Read more… to see this book-list by Category. It will help you decide which book you need now…and perhaps other books for later!

A full collection of books with information about Diagnosis, Signs and Symptoms, Caregiving and more

[Read more…]

Do Those with dementia always have Aphasia?

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Do those with dementia have Aphasia?

Do those with dementia have Aphasia since it’s so difficult for them to stay tuned to a conversation? Aphasia is an inability to understand or use words for communication. This includes spoken and written words and can be a devastating illness since it also affects writing and reading.

Since someone with dementia also has problems with words and conversation, you might think everyone with dementia has Aphasia. But that isn’t always true.

You don’t have Aphasia simply because you have dementia.

Aphasia is caused by damage or injury to the brain which can occur as the dementia worsens. But most often, Aphasia is caused by a stroke, or brain injuries from other illnesses such as epilepsy, brain tumor or traumatic brain injury.

Aphasia isn’t always caused by dementia. And, you may have dementia but NOT have Aphasia.

According to the Aphasia Association, of those who survived a stroke 25 to 40% will get Aphasia. But most of those who suffer Aphasia from having a stroke can improve greatly from speech therapy.

Medical New Today says; “Having dementia doesn’t mean you will also have Aphasia, but it could be a symptom of dementia if the “language center” of the brain is affected during cognitive decline of dementia.”

Aphasia affects a persons speech because they have difficulty finding the right words or using the right words when speaking and don’t understand the words they hear from others. Since they can’t communicate, they become very confused. Since they are confused by written words as well, their reading and writing abilities are impaired and it becomes more difficult for the person with Aphasia to communicate with others.

This lack of speaking or knowing words is not a direct affect of Cognitive Decline (such as with dementia), nor intellectual ability. So not everyone who has dementia will have Aphasia.

The damage done to the brain by dementia may result in Aphasia, but those cases are fewer in number than those of stroke or other brain damage. And it is not a certainty that someone with dementia will have Aphasia.

Listed below are 7 Tips for communicating with someone who has Aphasia from the Medical News Today . I think most of these tips would also be helpful to keep in mind while speaking with a loved one with dementia as well.

How do you communicate with someone that has Aphasia? The following are some tips on how to communicate with someone that has aphasia and may be helpful for those with dementia as well:

Try to keep sentences short and simple and avoid questions that require a complicated answer.
Do not change the subject of conversation too quickly.
Minimize distracting background noises.
When the person with aphasia is replying, try not to pressure them for a response and give them plenty of time to answer.
Try not to correct their language as they may find this frustrating.
Remember that their disorder is affecting the way they communicate, their tone may not necessarily reflect their mood.
Try to keep a notepad/some paper and a pen to hand, this may help you or them to communicate.

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Speech Therapy Aphasia RehabilitationMore info Language Intervention StrategiesMore info Successful Communication with Persons with Alzheimer’sMore info

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I remember the story of a friend. Her father with dementia would never speak. He appeared interested in what they had to say but he would not speak nor join a lively conversation. They believed he had aphasia and either didn’t understand, or couldn’t find the words.

Then one day, an ad for ‘Oldies from the 50’s” (pop music) blasted from the television.’ “Dad,” chimed in with every artist and sang a sweet duet. He knew all the words to every song from his youth and sang them without a stutter–word for word.

Never give up. Continue to think “out of the box” — What does your loved one like; to talk about, to listen to, to dance to. There is always something that will catch their attention and allow them a fun day or hour.

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Caring for Aging Parents – Difficult but not Impossible

09/021 Comment

Caring for aging parents – Difficult but not impossible

Aging Parents may turn to their adult children when they are no longer able to care for themselves. Nobody wants to see their parents decline in their older years.

Our parents have been the strong ones in our lives, and it can be heartbreaking to see them starting to lose physical or mental capacity. But there may come a time when they can no longer take care of their own needs.

Parents usually don’t want to admit this either, insisting to themselves and others that they are still fully capable, it’s sometimes difficult to care for aging parents.

Sooner or later, however, the time may come when you have to begin providing care for your aging parents. Here are some tips that can help.

It’s easiest to have the conversation in advance

If you can have a “just in case…” conversation with your parents while they are still fully competent, this is the easiest time to do it.

Talk about what their wishes will be when they start having difficulty taking care of themselves. They may be uncomfortable talking about it, but it will be easier emotionally now than later when the situation is already upon them.

Keep notes of your discussion, with dates and signatures, and file it away where you can find it when you need it. This can be useful for you, your parents, and your siblings, when it comes to decisions about your parents’ care.

Watch for signs around the house

If your parents have always kept the house spic and span, and now you find that it is growing cluttered or less clean, this could be a sign of a problem. Perhaps your mother is finding the cleaning chores more physically difficult than before or perhaps she is feeling overwhelmed because everything in life is getting a bit harder. Stop by now and then, and see if you can lend a helping hand. This also gives you a chance to see in person how your parents are doing.

Make sure their finances are under control

If your parents are letting the mail pile up, and the bills go unpaid, this can become a real problem.

It may be another sign that they are overwhelmed, as they find it more mentally daunting to deal with the finances and pay the bills.

They may not be thinking as clearly as they used to, or may just be forgetful. Whatever the reason, if the bills aren’t being paid, you may need to step in and do something. At some point, you may need to get signature privileges on their checking account so you can handle this for them.

Watch for poor nutrition or injuries

Sometimes older people stop eating well, either because shopping and food pre paration are too difficult, or because
they simply don’t feel like eating. If they are losing weight, and don’t have good food in the fridge, then you could offer to take them shopping now and then, or look into programs like Meals on Wheels. Cooking can also lead to injuries at times, so if you see any signs of cuts or burns, find out what happened. As their child you have to watch out for them and really get involved. Seniors want to be loved, but they don’t want to feel useless.

Depression can set in

It is hard to get older, and find that you are no longer able to live the life you used to. It is a difficult time, and some seniors end up sinking into depression. If you see signs of depression in your parents, try to get them to talk to a doctor about it, which can provide the best options for handling it. Seniors dealing with changes in their life – such as the death of a loved one, retirement, medical problems or increased isolation, may trigger depression.
Thus, your aging parents won’t be able to enjoy life anymore. As their child, you must take action and help them understand and accept that growing old is not the end of the world.

Some seniors may need palliative care in order to get over depression. This specialized type of medical care is centered on offering patients relief from symptoms whatever the diagnosis. It could be depression, anxiety, or more severe illnesses such as cancer or dementia. Seniors are not impossible to care for, as long as the caregivers are truly committed and devoted. And eventually, most of us will be caring for aging parents. It’s only natural for parents to age; and they can age beautifully.