Glen Gampbell's Wife Talks About Caring for an Alzheimer's Patient

A good article about the struggles that all caregivers experience while caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's.

 

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Caring Together Lompoc - Kickoff

“Everyone in our community should have the support needed and the experience to enjoy love and joy of their family,” said Mayor Bob Lingl. “I am proud of this community in rallying around the well being of our caregivers and their seniors.”

LVMC Chief Operations Officer Dr. Naishadh Buch explained about the future LVMC Family Caregiver Support Network, which is slated to open in the fall at a location to be determined.
“We made a commitment that we will fund and provide a Caregiver Support Center for this Lompoc Valley,” Dr. Buch said. “With this better understanding -- as healthcare changes and as it becomes a community focus on healthcare as opposed to individual focus on healthcare -- that we have to do these sorts of things.”

LVMC, he said, will fund the center as a “service we need to provide to our citizens, so we will do that. We are extremely excited to be a part of this collaboration.”

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Caring Together Lompoc

Many family members do not identify as caregivers.  But you are...

 Am I a Caregiver?

You are, if you…

Assist a senior with household tasks, or drive them to errands or appointments.

Help a senior with personal care like bathing, meals, dressing or grooming.

Have less time for yourself because you are caring for a senior.

 Please use this new resource to find the help you need in the Lompoc Valley.

 Caring Together Lompoc

June 24 ·

Caring for a senior loved one or friend? You are not alone. We invite you to our CaringTogetherLompoc Community Briefing & Campaign Launch, Thurs., June 30th 11..

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The Genius of Marian on Netflix

The heartbreak of Alzheimer’s, the power of art, and the meaning of family

An intimate family portrait that explores the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s disease, the power of art and the meaning of family. The Genius of Marian follows Pam White in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease as her son, the filmmaker, documents her struggle to hang on to a sense of self.

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Care Mapping at Valley Haven Feb 25th

Care Mapping
Thursday, February 25
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Valley Haven 502 N. Third St, Lompoc Ca 93436

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Alzheimer's Association Lokai Bracelet supports research for a cure

Live Lokai

February 1 · New York, NY ·

Introducing the limited-edition purple Lokai, in support of the Alzheimer's Association
Help us honor those affected by Alzheimer's, and spread awareness in the process:
 http://mylokai.co/purpleishere

$1 from each purchase (with a minimum donation of $300,000) will go towards helping the Alzheimer's Association advance research and provide care to the more than 47 million people living with Alzheimer’s.

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Alzheimer's Support Group here in Lompoc

Hi Friends!! We wanted to share with you a great caregivers group that meets every 2nd Wednesday and 4th Monday.

We want to support our caregivers in every way possible and to be sure you are aware of the Alzheimer's Support Group here in Lompoc. The group meets on the second Wednesday and the forth Monday at the Valley Haven Conference Room, 502 N Third St. Come and share with others your caregiver experience, wisdom and encouragement. Learn skills and strategies for self-care. The group is a safe place to share your problems and concerns. It is sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association.

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You're invited to attend January's Confident Caregiver Workshops in Lompoc!

You're invited to attend January's Confident Caregiver Workshops in Lompoc!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: Valley Haven - 502 N Third St., Lompoc
Topic: The Basics: Memory Loss and Dementia
We provide these FREE monthly educational opportunities for family caregivers
of dementia patients to learn about resources and strategies
in providing quality care for their loved ones.
Please RSVP to dbeal@alz.org or call 800.272.3900.
For more information about Santa Barbara County classes and workshops,
please visit our Chapter website.
Donna Beal, Vice President Programs & Advocacy
Alzheimer's Association California Central Chapter

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Alzheimer's Clock Draw Test -- Detect the Signs of Alzheimer's Early

Alzheimer's Clock Draw Test -- Detect the Signs of Alzheimer's Early

Drawing a clock by hand is one of several useful screening tools that can help to detect dementia, or Alzheimer's.

Editor Note: If you are looking for additional self assessment tests for Alzheimer's visit the following page --

Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's Dementia (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)

They say that doctors often use the clock draw test.

This test can help you, or your doctor, differentiate between normal aging and possible dementia.

If you administer the test on your own and find the results either disconcerting or suspicious, schedule an appointment with your personal care physician. Take the copy of the clock test with you to the doctor appointment, and show the test to the doctor.

Insist on a referral to a memory specialist for testing.

Also, please review this article --

Is it really Alzheimer's or something else? 

-- and take it with you to the doctor appointment for the purpose of discussion.

There are many diseases that can present as dementia or Alzheimer's. Getting the correct diagnosis is difficult under any and all circumstances. You need to be sure all the proper tests are administered.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

The Clock Drawing Test

Have the person draw a clock by hand on a large piece of paper.

Have the person draw the face of a clock and put the numbers in the correct positions.

Then have them draw the hands to indicate 3:40 (time).

Clock Drawing Test Scoring

To score, assign the following points for each part of the drawing:

• 1 point for a closed circle
• 1 point for properly placed numbers
• 1 point for including all twelve numbers
• 1 point for properly placed hands

Conclusions

The clock-drawing test meets defined criteria for a cognitive screening instrument. It taps into a wide range of cognitive abilities including executive functions, is quick and easy to administer and score with excellent acceptability by subjects. Together with informant reports, the clock-drawing test is complementary to the widely used and validated Mini-Mental State Examination and should provide a significant advance in the early detection of dementia and in monitoring cognitive change. A simple scoring system with emphasis on the qualitative aspects of clock-drawing should maximize its utility.
Source http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10861923

Original content the Alzheimer's Reading Room

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How Can Alzheimers and Dementia Caregivers Deal with Difficult Behavior

How Can Alzheimers and Dementia Caregivers Deal with Difficult Behavior

What you have expressed about your emotions and frustrations about taking care of your Mother who suffers from dementia, I've heard so many times before.

By Jennifer Scott
Alzheimer's Reading Room

This was written in response to -- Alzheimer's Caregiver Lament -- I Can't Get a Second to Myself.

One of the common behaviors associated with someone who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's is to develop what is called "shadowing" behavior.

• Everywhere the caregiver goes the person follows. It becomes difficult for the caregiver to even get a few free minutes to take a shower or drink a cup of coffee.

The person with Alzheimer's becomes dependent on environmental cues to tell them what they are supposed to be doing and for a feeling of safety.

• The caregiver becomes an "environmental cue with legs" and if they are gone from site for any length of time all of a sudden the person with Alzheimer's looses their sense of safety.

Since they lose their sense of "time" a five minute interval of not seeing their caregiver will feel like an all day event and no amount of convincing them that you were only gone 1 or 2 minutes will convince them otherwise.

• I have few suggestions. Bob's idea of rearranging the furniture is a great one and should be tried.

• I also suggest compiling "busy boxes" with items that you can access quickly and easily. You can give the items to your Mother just before doing your chores or whatever the case maybe and the items might hold her attention for a short period of time so she doesn't miss you or look for you quite as quickly.

Items for the box could be wrapping yarn if she used to knit, the newspaper (if her hometown still produces a newspaper you could subscribe to it and have it delivered to your house), photo albums (it works best to compile several small photo albums with a few pictures each so if they lose interest in one they can move to another one and make sure all the pictures are from years ago not recent ones), old letters or note cards, small quilt samples, and so forth.

Try to amass items that used to interest you mother. There is a great magazine called REMINISCE that has articles from yesteryear and it is written for people who have memory loss. This magazine might hold her interest for quite a while, it is filled with pictures and stories from the years gone bye.

• I also suggest, if you belong to a church or other organization asking for volunteers or friends who can commit to coming by for a "visit" at set times a couple of times per week. 

The "visits" don't have to be very long, 30 minutes and if they are scheduled you can plan for some alone time. You can set the visits up to be fun, like having tea with the neighbors or bible study, etc. If you have other family around and they are willing to help, you can set up a care calendar with them for the "visits". Many times the primary caregiver doesn't ask for other family members to actually commit to a certain time to help.

• As for you mother not acknowledging the fact that she has Alzheimer's or acknowledging the fact that she needs help; this is also extremely common and can be frustrating for the caregiver.

Alzheimer's causes a phenomenon to happen, usually fairly early in the progression which is called "anosognosia" which is from the Latin term which means Agnostic.

The true definition of "agnostic" is "to not know". So the "anosognosia effect" on the person is that it causes the person to think and really believe that they are functioning completely normal without any problems what-so-ever.

• They think they can still live by themselves, drive their cars, they don't take any medicines because they are healthy, and they certainly don't believe they need help.

The "anosognosia" effect takes away their own ability to be able to evaluate their own skill level and this sets up huge power struggles with the caregiver. So the caregiver is challenged with making things seem like it is the person's idea and doing everything they can to not argue or try to convince them that they are wrong.
_______________________________
It takes two people to argue and the caregiver has the ability to not argue where the person who has Alzheimer's will not have the same amount of self control.

• I have found it most helpful to say things like "you are right, you don't need help but I will feel better if I help you"; things like that but with as few words as possible. Too many words causes confusion.

As for the negative "words and attitude", you will have to let this kind of roll off your back.

Her ability to comprehend "negative words vs positive words" may be very diminished and Alzheimer's causes the person to lose the ability to have empathy in relation to others in the same way you and I can understand that our words and actions effect others either positively or negatively.

The negative behavior is generally not a purposeful behavior but for some folks it is a long term habit of negative thinking.

Where they used to have the internal filters and control to not say the first thing on their mind they now don't have those filters and you never know what might come out!

Examples of this are people beginning to use curse words when they never have before in front of their loved ones and now they use very colorful language.

• Rapid changes in her mood, going from happy to sad to angry in a flash of eye can be very difficult to understand. It is called "labile" behavior and it is a loss of emotional control. 

The key here is to match your response with the emotion that she is exhibiting. She may not realize that she is acting like she is "angry" or "sad". So if she is "angry" about something you can say "I'm sorry I made you angry".  Or, "sorry that made you angry I'll make sure that doesn't happen again" (I've accepted responsibility for many many many things that I had nothing to do with over the years but at that moment you can see the person's face lighten and the "mood" will change.

The labile behavior is not necessarily caused by anything in the environment it simply causes rapid mood swings. There are some medications that may help for mood stabilization.

I am not an advocate for use of medications unless absolutely necessary.

• It is not comfortable for the person who has Alzheimer's to go through their days angry, upset, anxious, or frightened. 

If it was me who had the illness and if everything else my family has tried to help me live in good moments has not worked and I was still anxious most of the day and night and frightened...I would tell the doctor "give me something...I am miserable".

I hope this information helps you and your mother along your journey.

Jennifer Scott has been in healthcare since 1984, working with a variety of people with disabilities. She has delivered numerous speaking and educational presentations about Alzheimer’s disease and how to care for those suffering with dementia.

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You Don't Have to Have Alzheimer's or Dementia to Experience Social Isolation

You don't have to have Alzheimer's or dementia to experience social isolation, day programs like Valley Haven are here to help. Call Valley Haven to learn more. 733-9459

Live Online Chats with Alzheimer's Experts

Tips, resources and support for families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

helpforalzheimersfamilies.com

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New Idea - A Dementia Village in the Netherlands

CNN's World's Untold Stories: Dementia Village 

CNN's Dr Gupta visits the Netherlands for a revolutionary idea in housing for those with Dementia.  It is a long video but really worth the time. 

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25 Lessons Learned from Caregivers

25 Lessons Learned from Alzheimer’s Caregivers

• August 11, 2014inS

We are taught important life lessons every day, but the most memorable seem to come from those we love the most. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease teaches us many great unexpected lessons – both as caregivers and family members – that leave a lasting impression on our lives.

We asked the caregivers on our Facebook page what some of the most important lessons learned from loved ones with Alzheimer’s were. This is what they shared:

Top 25 Things I Learned from a Loved One with Alzheimer’s

1. That you need to make time to sit with your loved one and have a cup of tea and a conversation, even if limited. All these things become precious memories. I would give anything to have another precious moment with my Mom. –Marcia D.
2. Not to disagree with them. If your 88-year-old mother says her mom is alive and she just talked with her on the phone, agree and let it go. Try to have more patience. Yes, they are going to ask the same questions over and over. Expect that and roll with the punches. –Mary L.
3. My mother used to tell me that her mother came to visit, and that they went to the apple orchard and picked apples, and then went to get a malt. I would just say, “That sounds wonderful. I hope you had a nice day with your mother.” She would reply, “Oh, yes, we had a lovely day.” Who cares that it didn’t really happen? If it made her happy, great! –Dani P.
4. To love unconditionally, that’s what my Mom taught me. Even though she sometimes had no clue who I was, she never stopped loving me. It was an honor to be her daughter and caregiver. –Laura J.
5. That the things you regret are the things you never did. –Rachelle M.
6. That this is truly “the best of times and the worst of times.” Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I had both of them back, whole and healthy. Though, in my heart I know their passing was a blessing. Five years has passed and my husband and I still miss our moms. –Elizabeth T.
7. That it is important to stay in touch with your loved ones. Alzheimer’s doesn’t discriminate and the length of time that people with the disease have always varies. –Roxy L.
8. That the heart remembers long after the mind forgets. –Judy F.
9. That it is important to enjoy life every day. Don’t worry about what you don’t have and be sure to appreciate what you do. –Clifton P.
10. That it is important to enjoy your youth. –Kristin D.
11. That people are more important than “things.” –Carla S.
12. That it is important to enjoy the memories, and not argue or stress, because one day you’ll want those days back again! –Nita B.
13. That you should not press them to remember things and that you shouldn’t take it personally if they don’t remember you. Keep spending time with them with plenty of hugs. –Ann E.
14. That they need you to stay with them for the long haul. –Tammie F.
15. That they still need our love and compassion and need be treated with respect. –Elizabeth S.
16. Even though they may ask the same question numerous times, know that it’s important to answer it like it’s the first time they are asking. –Beverly E.
17. That you can still interact meaningfully with the part of them that is still there. –Deb R.
18. To allow them to live in the moment. One day in their mind they may be a child again, looking for their own mom. The next, they may be a young parent themselves, worried about their child. Allow them that, and answer their questions as best you can to put their mind at ease in that moment. –Lisa F.
19. To live your life and enjoy it to the fullest every day! –Tracy Raymond
20. That you should appreciate the good times you have with your loved one, as they are today and every day. Love them through the confusion. –Michelle P.
21. To always love them, laugh with them, touch them and hold their hand. –Stephany R.
22. To think of the love, patience and the wonderful support of family… that keeps me going for my husband with Alzheimer’s. –Nancy N.
23. Not to take what they say personally. They are sick and don’t really mean it. –Sylvia Z.
24. To help them live their life truth and create moments of joy for them. –Pamela R.
25. “They are good people… and maybe they are just having a bad day, honey.” These are two things from my Mama that I learned the most from. –Toni T.
Do you have any lessons that you’ve learned from loved ones with Alzheimer’s that we’ve missed? Add to the discussion by sharing what lessons you’ve learned in the comments below.

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The 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's

(CNN)More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's today, with another person developing the disease every 68 seconds. By 2050, the number of people living with Alzheimer's disease is expected to triple.

As if those numbers weren't staggering enough, consider this: Alzheimer's disease is the only cause of death among the top 10 (it's currently ranked No. 6) in the United States that can't be prevented, cured or slowed down.

Ask any expert, and he or she will tell you that early diagnosis is key to helping patients live better day to day, so even though the disease is still progressing, the symptoms are less harsh.

"Our hope is that if we could identify patients who are developing the disease early, it would give us a much better opportunity to intervene with treatments, and it's much more likely for those treatments to be effective," says Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

But while early diagnosis leads to early intervention, some news out of the 2013 Alzheimer's Association International Conference is troubling: An expert panel found 16 online tests for Alzheimer's disease scored poorly on scales of overall scientific validity, reliability and ethical factors.

"Self-diagnosis behavior ... is increasingly popular online, and freely accessible quizzes that call themselves 'tests' for Alzheimer's are available on the Internet," says Julie Robillard, who presented the data this week in Boston. "However, little is known about the scientific validity and reliability of these offerings and ethics-related factors, including research and commercial conflict of interest, confidentiality and consent."

"Frankly," Robillard adds, "what we found online was distressing and potentially harmful."

Robillard and her colleagues at the University of British Columbia found that unique monthly visitors for the parent sites hosting the online tests reached as high as 8.8 million.

At the same conference, another study concluded that the misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in Medicare patients who actually have vascular dementia or Parkinson's disease leads to substantial excess costs of care. The study, conducted by Analysis Group, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co., found the costs of erroneous care to be in excess of $14,000 a year per patient .

The silver lining: Those excess costs decline and eventually dissipate following a correct diagnosis.

"Recent developments in technology have greatly improved our ability to properly diagnose patients with cognitive impairment," said Analysis Group's Noam Kirson. "Our results suggest that there are economic benefits to properly diagnosing -- as early as possible -- the cause of the cognitive impairment."

If you suspect a family member or friend is developing Alzheimer's, take a look at these 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's Disease, put together by the Alzheimer's Association:

1.Memory changes that disrupt daily life

2.Challenges in planning or solving problems

3.Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure

4.Confusion with time or place

5.Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships

6.New problems with words in speaking or writing

7.Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

8.Decreased or poor judgment

9.Withdrawal from work or social activities

10.Changes in mood and personality

Rather than diagnose Alzheimer's disease at home, head to your doctor's office. You can also find more information at www.alz.org, or by calling the Alzheimer's Association's 24-hour hotline at (800) 272-3900.

The importance of early detection and early intervention can't be stressed strongly enough. It could mean added years of lucidity and life for you or someone you love.

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5 Tips for Talking to Someone with Alzheimer's

Happy Tuesday Friends!! Here are 5 great tips for talking to someone with Alzheimer's.

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