Some people in the middle-to-late stages of Alzheimer's seem to enjoy paging through a familiar magazine from when they were younger, or from their career. Others may enjoy listening to someone else read out loud, or looking through a book together.
Read to your loved one while they enjoy the pictures and texture of the pages. More resources can be found through the Alzheimer's Association at Alz.org. Just being around familiar books or magazines can feel good and get the mind moving.
Activities to do around the house
Make a memory book — look through old pictures together and create a scrapbook. Water house and garden plants. Listen to their favorite music. Watch their favorite show or movie.
Keep a Routine
Planning daily activities doesn't come easily to people with Alzheimer's. They also tend to prefer familiar habits, places, and tasks. But daily routines help them focus on activities they find meaningful. If they know what to expect, it can also lessen frustration and improve their mood.
Keeping an active social life, regular exercise, and continuing activities the person enjoys, or finding new ones, can help to reduce behaviours that are out of character. Read more about activities for dementia. Other things that can help include: providing reassurance.
Even if they don't understand their error, correcting them may embarrass or be otherwise unpleasant for them. Don't Argue With the Person: It's never a good idea to argue with a person who has dementia. First of all, you can't win. And second, it will probably upset them or even make them angry.
For people with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, watching TV can help keep their brain active, which can stimulate positive memories, improve mood, and even increase socialization. However, the choice of program can be dependent upon the stage of dementia.
People with dementia think about the same things that any human thinks about — emotions, relationships, daily life, tasks to accomplish, and more. However, dementia can change how you interact with the world because of its physical, mental, and emotional effects.
According to the United Kingdom Alzheimer's Society Dementia 2012 Report, 61% of people with dementia felt lonely, and 77% were depressed or anxious.
The MIND diet limits servings of red meat, sweets, cheese, butter/margarine and fast/fried food. *Be careful about how much alcohol you drink. How the body handles alcohol can change with age. Learn more about alcohol and older adults.
Activities such as dressing, grooming, bathing and eating can form a pattern in daily living. Routines help the person with dementia know what to expect, and help them continue to do things on their own. Doing so will make them feel better about themselves.
Recent studies show that in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, semantic memory is affected first. We have seen that even before forgetting their memories of past events, patients show a gradual decline in their general knowledge.
forgetting how to carry out familiar tasks (such as making a cup of tea) forgetting appointments or anniversaries. not being able to keep track of medication, and whether or when it has been taken. struggling to recognise faces of people they know well.
In the later stages, memory loss becomes far more severe. A person may not recognize family members, may forget relationships, call family members by other names, or become confused about the location of home or the passage of time. He or she may forget the purpose of common items, such as a pen or a fork.
Avoid asking too many open-ended questions about the past, as it could be stressful for a person with dementia if they can't remember the answer. While it might seem polite to ask somebody about their day, it's better to focus on what's happening in the present.
Try to avoid asking too many questions, or asking complicated questions. The person may become frustrated or withdrawn if they can't find the answer. Try to stick to one idea at a time. Giving someone a choice is important, but too many options can be confusing and frustrating.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
Use calming phrases such as: "You're safe here;" "I'm sorry that you are upset;" and "I will stay until you feel better." Let the person know you are there. Involve the person in activities. Try using art, music or other activities to help engage the person and divert attention away from the anxiety.
Even patients with mild cases may not be safe to be alone if they've demonstrated certain dementia-related behaviors. Once a patient enters the moderate stage of dementia, when they require help with basic activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, grooming, eating), it's unsafe for them to be left alone.
According to Visiting Angels, “Confusion is one of the leading causes of anger and aggression in Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers. Confusion can be triggered by lost trains of thought, mixed up memories, or a sudden change in the environment, such as a change from one caregiver to another.”
Generally, it's best for the physician to explain the diagnosis. New information doesn't always "stick," however, so don't be surprised if someone with Alzheimer's disease continues to ask what's wrong. In such cases, you can offer a reassuring but brief explanation. You may also need to talk to family and friends.
People with dementia often rely on their routines as a source of comfort. A daily routine helps a person know what to expect. This means that a sudden disruption in routine may cause dementia symptoms to get worse. This is especially true if a person experiences stress.