![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() |
Elder Care |
![]() |
Honey, Where Are The Car Keys?
Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop? A: This is a great question and I have a lot of material to work with. My grand mother had made me the most beautiful doilies. One resident in my adult family home insisted that they were the ones she had made and took them when I wasn't looking. I would put her in bed at night only to find my doilies hidden in her diaper. After dinner one evening we discovered a client's $3000.00 dollar pair of hearing aids wrapped up in a nice little napkin and stuffed in her drinking cup. Some residents would go through others belongings, when I would suggest that they stop because the purse belonged to someone else, they would reply, "I know that" and would continue digging. The weirdest experience I had was a resident who liked to clothes shop so much that she would go shopping in other peoples closets. Invariably, just when you need something, it has disappeared, whether it's your doilies, car keys, glasses, or hearing aids. Hiding, hoarding and losing things are very common things you have to deal with when you are caring for a person with Alzheimer's. To cut down on the prospect of losing very important things, here is a list of things to do to help you. 1. Simplify your surroundings. You would be amazed at how much easier it is to care for a person with Alzheimer's if you aren't surrounded by clutter. If you lose something, you will have less to sort through to find it. 2. Keep really important things in a locked and secure place. 3. Childproof your cabinets and doors that you don't want your loved one rummaging through. 4. Don't leave things lying around. 5. Keep your loved ones glasses, hearing aids, and teeth in a plastic container or tub when you put them to bed at night. That way you will always know where they are in the morning. Here are a few other things to keep in mind. 1. People with Alzheimer's like to put their teeth and hearing aids in their napkins at meal time. Always check napkins before throwing them into the trash. 2. Check their wastebaskets before you throw out the trash. 3. Check their pockets before doing the laundry-if they haven't put something of value in them, I can almost guarantee that there is a Kleenex in them, a load of laundry washed with a Kleenex is the not very fun. 4. If a person with Alzheimer's is a wanderer you will want to check the sides of their chairs frequently also. While you may not be able to stop this behavior all together you might be able to control it a bit better with these tips. Renee "Dutchy" Reeves is an Elder Care Consultant with over 10 years of working with the elderly and their families. Her online advice column, "Ask Dutchy" provides practical ideas and advice for assisting the elderly with Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Parkinson's, disability, and those needing long term care.
MORE RESOURCES: |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
If Using The Stairs Has Become A Daily Struggle, A Stair lift Could Change Your Life Using stairs is an everyday nightmare for many people. As we grow older the stairs in our home can become more of a struggle due to mobility problems associated with old age, an accident or illness. Using The Proper Wheelchair Will Make Your Everyday Life Easier If you have an injury or a health problem that restricts your mobility, you can achieve the independence you desire with a wheelchair that's just right for you. Wheelchairs are constructed for people of every size, shape, and age, and have features designed to meet the many diverse interests of users and appropriate for the various levels of assistance required. Angels Are Reaching Out to the Elderly I am reminded time after time of the profound effect Angels have on people. Recently, I have been receiving many emails containing examples of how the Angels are reaching through the veils to assist the elderly. Baby Boomers: Will They Be Able to Afford Their Parents? Do you worry about whether your aging parents have their "affairs in order?" You should. After all, you're the one who will have to pay unnecessary taxes and endure time-consuming court procedures if your parents don't have an effective estate plan. What Most Long Term Care Professionals Don't Know Medicare recognizes this need and, therefore reimburses your residents to receive advanced behavioral health services? making them free to your facility!Psychologists provide a wide variety of valuable and tested clinical services that can provide a big shot in the arm to your nursing home care. For example:1. Honey, Where Are The Car Keys? Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop?A: This is a great question and I have a lot of material to work with.My grand mother had made me the most beautiful doilies. Prepare to Make Long-term Care Choices Several months ago, I was coming out of a gas station when a woman stopped me and asked me what I did for a living. On the back of our van is our web address. Who Wants to End Up in a Nursing Home? NO ONE! As a long-term care consultant for seniors and their families I have visited many different types of facilities. But my favorite type of facility to visit is adult family homes. The Right Wheelchair Accessories Will Ease Your Life and Your Journeys on Wheels Wheelchairs come in every shape and size with sufficient options that you can find the wheels you like to take you where you want to go with the assistance you need. To enhance the comfort and convenience of your journey, choose accessories tailored to provide the best support for your activities and your health concerns. 10 Tips to Keep a Family Caregiver from Losing Their Mind Caring full time for a loved one can be a challenging task, and it takes a special person to get the job done right. Patience and compassion are the two top qualities a caregiver must possess in order to be successful. Marketing, Selling, and Serving the Older Adult, Senior Citizens, Family Caregivers Are your clients pleased by the fine quality service that you provide? Validating your clients' endorsement of you through Certification as a Senior Approved Service will increase your client base. Senior Approved Certification leads a family towards a service like yours side stepping the possibility of connecting with a less than desirable service. Stairlifts - Take the Struggle Out of Climbing the Stairs Buying a stairlift can have huge benefits for your quality of life, giving you back some freedom and independence. Stairlifts can be adapted to your individual needs, so no matter what your requirements are, there'll be one to suit you. Board and Care Homes - What Are They? Board and Care homes (also known as RCFE's - Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly) are residential private homes that have been licensed by the Department of Social Services to provide services to seniors. Most accept no more than six residents, but offer a cozy, home-like setting for frail seniors. Scaling Down (Almost) Painlessly Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for family members. However, by planning ahead you can reduce the discomfort involved and turn what might well become a nightmare into a pleasant event. Caring for Aging Relatives It happens somewhat slowly in the beginning, maybe with a small cough that gets worse as time goes on. It might simply begin with absent mindedness which is totally out of character, followed by total memory lapses. The Golden Years 1) What does Adrian Mitchell say we do to people when their working lives are over?Adrian says that "when a man's too ill to work we punish him", rob him of half his income or replace it with "pocket money" and or place him in a retirement home to sit out the remainder of his live in isolation.2) What does he think about this?Adrian thinks that "the old people are being robbed" and says "to hell with retiring" he believes that the way that deal with old people (to have your ability to sport yourself removed and then being given "pocket money"). Whos Gonna Take Care of You When Youre Old? I finally went to the doctor this morning for my bad cold. My appointment was for 9:30 am and yet I didn't get home until after 1:00 pm. Arizona Assisted Living Homes -- The Alternative to High Priced Senior Care The cost of skilled nursing care is slowly rising. Currently, the average cost of care in Arizona ranges from $3,500 to $4,500 per month. 5 Myths You Should Know Before Choosing Elder Care Myths associated with selecting quality nursing home care suggest quick and easy ways to identify quality care. In fact, relying on these myths can lead to disastrous results. Long Term In-home Care Options Are you worried that you may lose all your life's earnings and nest egg due to the rising costs of in-home long term care? As you get older do you have the necessary finances to protect yourself from going broke while slightly incapacitated? Many seniors are worried about are worried about the costs of long-term health care.Are you worried that if something happens to you, that you may run out of money and burn thru their reserves and all your nest egg. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2011 |