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Joe Benter
Senior Living
2008-12-31 10:43:00
Determining early stages of Alzheimer’s
Answer: Middle stage Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) can last anywhere from 2 to 10 years and is when changes in behavior become most prominent. Safety becomes your top concern as memory loss increases and the interventions used in earlier stages don’t work anymore. The damage to the brain begins to affect things like the way the patient acts, walks, sits down and gets up, goes to the bathroom, find their way around the house, gets dressed and deals with noise and light. In early stage AD you could leave notes, call on the phone and leave them alone for periods of time. In middle stage AD they are no longer able to make sense of phone messages, take baths or brush their teeth without help. They need cues from you to eat and can no longer put thoughts into words. And most importantly, they cannot be left alone. They may tend to fidget and act nervous late in the day. They become easily upset and are hard to calm down. What they are experiencing is called “sundowning” because it happens late in the day. Often they may say over and over that they want to go home. To them the idea of “going home” is not what you may think. “Home” is often not the place they live or the place where they grew up. To them “home” means feeling safe and may not be a place at all. “Home” is more like a feeling. It’s important to remember that changes in how people with AD act are caused by the brain damage and is not something they can control. It’s part of the disease process. If one haven’t done it already, now is the time to get a support team together. Talk to the doctor, the family and the friends. Talk about what services are available to them in they’re town. And as I have said before and will say again, “Take care of yourself!” It’s going to get tough and the need for support is critical at this time. Here are some tips on home safety. Make their world simple. Use plain-colored tablecloths, bath towels and sheets. Block off stairs so they don’t fall up or down. Have all your house locks keyed to the same key. Have them wear an ID bracelet. Use locked cabinets for soaps, cleaners, poisons and medicines. Communications will change as well. Break tasks down into one step at a time and wait until they finish the first before you go onto the next. Be patient and calm. Touch (holding hands) is very important. Don’t use baby talk. Stop what you are doing and listen to the feelings behind the words. Treat them with dignity and respect. Say exactly what you want them to do and use ordinary words. Eventually you will find that your loved one may just sit or walk around the room and say nothing. Talk to them first, they may not remember how to start a conversation. I’ve covered just a few of the changes that will occur in middle stage Alzheimer’s Disease with some tips on how to cope with them. Once again I would suggest getting “Coach Broyles’ Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers”. It is informational, easy to read, full of great information and can be obtained for free by calling 800-272-3990.
 
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