Provide financial help

Alzheimer's care -- including medications, home healthcare visits, adult daycare, and medical checkups -- is expensive. Insurance and Medicare leave many things without coverage. Offering financial assistance is one of the most common ways physically distant children or other relatives and friends can help. You could contribute a set amount on a regular basis, for use as needs arise ("unrestricted funds").

Or, depending on your budget, arrange to be billed directly for a particular aspect of care, such as home-healthcare visits or a professional service that makes the person's life easier -- housecleaning, meal delivery, prescription delivery, or lawn maintenance. If the patient doesn't use such services now, look into initiating them. When you need to locate a particular service, check the Yellow Pages for her area.

In lieu of cash, one way to help financially is to work with the primary caregiver to figure out whether any of the patient's long-term care expenses qualify as tax deductions or credits (for either the patient or the caregiver). You could also offer to help with taxes or arrange direct deposits for bill-paying. With so many responsibilities and tasks to take care of day to day, the caregiver may not have time to do these things herself.

If the person with Alzheimer's is a parent or other close relative, or a close friend, it's a good idea to keep a copy of her medical care and history, if she'll give legal approval. You should also have a list of the physicians and other healthcare professionals who care for her. This information keeps you up-to-date for times when you or family members need to make decisions with each other, or when you need to provide backup care in case the primary caregiver unexpectedly can't do the job.

Join a local Alzheimer's group

Some people find it helpful to learn from the experiences of others at a local Alzheimer's support group, even though they themselves live at a distance from the patient. Hearing from caregivers, family members, and friends caring for someone with Alzheimer's can give you new perspectives on this person's situation. While the disease affects everyone differently, commonalities exist, and you can learn helpful coping strategies and ways to provide support.