Dementia and dangerous drugs

Drugs

…antipsychotic medication given to elderly people with dementia it should be at the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time and always after all other avenues have been tried and have failed.

A poignant and important article on the use of antipsychotic medications in treating people with dementia – please read and share!

let’s get dead right about dementia and dangerous drugs

 

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How to Come Together to Care for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s

“Hey, we’re in this together, so we’re going to do the best we can do.” People often rise to the occasion when news that a loved one has been diagnosed with a disease emerges. And you might be surprised by what your sibling has to say when you listen, she says. “Sometimes building strong relationships through communication can get better, even when the disease is getting worse.”
Stories from siblings who have done it and helpful take-home tips. Read the full article at:  How to Come Together to Care for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s

Passage of time: why people with dementia switch back to the past

Passage of time: why people with dementia switch back to the past

There are neurological reasons why those affected by dementia judge the passage of time differently, and can access remote memories from many decades ago while unable to remember events of the past few hours.

Interesting article on perceptions of time for people with dementia and how to respond! Read the full article at:  https://theconversation.com/passage-of-time-why-people-with-dementia-switch-back-to-the-past-45159

ReThink Respite

Dispelling respite myths for people with dementia and their carers

ReThink Respite is a new online resource aiming to support people with dementia and their carers and help them to better understand the benefits of respite services.

“There is plenty of evidence to show that respite can sustain carers to continue in their caring role and keep the person with dementia at home for longer, and yet the proportion of carers that use available respite and other support programs is low,” according to project leader, Dr Lyn Phillipson.

“The ReThink Respite resource will help people better understand respite services by dispelling myths and educating carers of the benefits of respite services. Ultimately, we want to increase uptake and inform and shape service delivery of respite in the community,” she adds.

Read more at:  https://news.agedcareguide.com.au/2016/04/05/dispelling-respite-myths-for-people-with-dementia-and-their-carers/

Visit the ReThink Respite webpage at rethinkrespite.com

Action to improve dementia care

Take action to improve dementia care

More than 70 people living with dementia and their carers have outlined priorities to improve dementia care in Australia.

“Especially with a diagnosis of dementia, I have an important contribution to make to the discussion around the funding for dementia and the way in which we are supported by the Government and the Community. It’s about improving the future situation for people who have been diagnosed with dementia.”

Read more at:  https://news.agedcareguide.com.au/2016/03/29/take-action-to-improve-dementia-care/

Read the full communique here. For more information about dementia call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 or visit fightdementia.org.au

Professor Uses Spice Painting to Slow Progress of Dementia

Dr. Tisone’s scent painting activity involves mixing spices with water to make watercolor paints with the hope that the scents will bring back memories for the patients.  Students are trained to elicit conversation based on reactions to those smells.

– See more at: Professor Uses Spice Painting to Slow Progress of Dementia

Improve the human rights of dementia patients and carers

The government must act to improve the human rights of dementia patients and carers

Few now question the right of parents to stay with children in hospital – so why don’t patients with dementia have similar rights?

John’s Campaign is single-issue and simple. It is for the right of carers to stay with people with dementia if they are admitted to hospital. It is named for the father of my friend, the writer Nicci Gerrard, whose father’s dementia was catastrophically accelerated by a stay in hospital where he was largely cut off from his family.

In the 1960s we had to campaign for parents to have the right to stay with their children in hospital. Few question this right now. So why does the same right not apply to carers of people with dementia?

Source: The government must act to improve the human rights of dementia patients and carers

Dementia and the great outdoors

The great outdoors: why should you help someone with dementia to go outside?

If a loved one is diagnosed with dementia your instinct will probably be to protect them and keep them safe. Going out might start to feel daunting and stressful. Isn’t it better that they stay at home where you can keep a careful watch? Well no, actually, it isn’t.

See more at: https://www.unforgettable.org/blog/the-great-outdoors-why-should-you-help-someone-with-dementia-to-go-outside/#sthash.zIVWyY6i.dpuf

LGBTQ carers

This article was brought to my attention through one of the Facebook group called Dementia Knowledge Exchange Global. I have a few other articles on this blog about LGBTQ issues in aging and in care, but haven’t yet focused on LGBTQ carers so this article is a great addition! It is the viewpoint of the author, David, as a gay man caring for his father and what he observes in this role. A good sociocultural piece on how LGBTQs can be stigmatized and overlooked, even when the issues aren’t about them.

Please note that I have edited some of the content to better fit with this blog; you can read the original article by clicking on the title. This article originally appeared on CaregiverRelief.com, a website that offers a host of information and support for carers, with a focus on dementia.

If you want to check out some of my related articles:

LGBTQ people with dementia should not be forced back into the closet

Older LGBTQ still experience prejudice from care staff

Housing experiences of older LGBTQs

LGBT carers:

The isolated among the isolated, and what Baltimore is doing to help

By on September 12, 2015

There’s a double-edged sword when it comes to LGBT people and caring.

First, LGBT people often fall into the carer role. Many caregivers, gay or not, will attest that when you don’t have children and/or a spouse, you tend to be elected mom’s or dad’s carer by your siblings. The idea is that you don’t have kids to look after, you don’t have a spouse to coo over, so “it’s just easier” for you to do it.

In some cases, these gay and lesbian carers are married. And they do have children. It’s just that their siblings and their relatives don’t legitimize them. Continue reading

5 Therapeutic Activities for Alzheimer’s Care Partners

This post comes to us from familyaffaires.com. I came across it on a LinkedIn post by a gentleman I met in a fantastic online course about dementia, Mike Good. Mike Good is founder of Together in This, an online community helping family members caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Through short, informative articles and easy-to-use tools, such as the Introductory Guide to Alzheimer’s, he helps them take control and have peace-of-mind they are doing the right things.

You can access the original article on familyaffaires.com by clicking on the title, below.

5 Therapeutic Activities for the Alzheimer’s Care Partners

We often hear about therapeutic activities that are beneficial for the person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia but it’s just as important to consider their care partner – the caregiver.

Living successfully with the disease requires that both care partners enjoy therapeutic enrichment that benefits their mind, body, and spirit.

But because the caregiver is often the only person caring for their loved one, it is difficult for them to find time to enjoy activities that are beneficial for them as well.

There are activities that can be done together that simultaneously meet the needs of the caregiver while providing beneficial sensory stimulation for the person with Alzheimer’s or other dementia:

Read the rest of this article at familyaffaires.com

Some tips for late stage dementia

This is another post that comes to us from Personal Health Records, another WordPress blog. This article gives some tips about caring for a person with late stage dementia. Do you have any additional tips or maybe some insights into how these tips have or haven’t worked for you? Share your knowledge and let us know in the comments below.

How can I help someone in late stage dementia?

Helpful tech for family carers

This post is about some of the apps out there that are going to be useful and useable for family members and carers of someone with dementia. It’s certainly not a complete list of everything that’s out there, but a summary of the apps that have come across my radar lately.

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Smart Apps for Dementia Carers

Apps for Alzheimer’s Caregivers

Here are the seven of the best and worst apps for caregivers that A Place for Mom reviewed, including information about their features, the devices for which they’re available, and our overall opinion of their usefulness and value. Of course every caregiver’s needs are different, so don’t necessarily rule out an app they didn’t praise or count on a highly praised app to work perfectly for your family.

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