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As hard as it is, try not to take harsh comments personally. Try these more constructive approaches: Don't assume they "get it." Many family members don't realize...
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Can a person "care too much?" Perhaps not emotionally -- hearts are pretty boundless -- but in practical terms, definitely, yes. It is possible to do too much for...
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My dad no longer goes to the doctor without one of his children present. We report the changes, take the notes, ask the questions. Dad, who has dementia, seems simultaneous...
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Scientists don't fully know why there's often an onset of increased confusion and agitation in people with dementia in the late afternoon or early evening. Theories include...
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You can do several things to help someone with dementia stay clean. It's important because the person may forget about washing up, may forget how to do so, or may have fear...
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There are several different ways to count the stages of Alzheimer's, because there is no single, standard classification.Most physicians refer to three main stages: early (...
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Handle repetition in someone with memory impairment with grace and good humor -- and plenty of patience. Recent memory is the first kind to be impaired, so the person liter...
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It can take supportiveness, tact, and creativity to encourage someone to have a clinician check out worrisome symptoms. Such evaluations tend to produce anxiety, and few pe...
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If you feel cranky, blue, blah or like you're sinking under the weight of a caregiving situation, how can you tell if you're just understandably stressed out -- or truly de...
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Three scary things to know about someone with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia wandering out the door:You can't know when it will happen for the first time -- but al...
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There's little that's more frustrating than doing your best in a situation involving the welfare of an elder -- only to have your choices criticized or opposed by a sibling...
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The day I feared for years has come: My firstborn just got his learner's permit. The creature who once depended on me to live now has my life in his hands, in the car at le...
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You don't specify what stage of Alzheimer's, but beneficial activities don't have to involve pencil-and-paper. Anything that stimulates the mind to focus and think, and/or ...
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Most headlines the average person reads about progress against Parkinson's Disease tend to concern embryonic stem-cell research, promising drug or gene therapies, or the pr...
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There's no single standard classification used by everyone. Most physicians refer to three basic three stages of dementia, although they may be referred to by different nam...
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There's a saying about Alzheimer's: If you've seen one case of it, you've seen...one case of it. The disease manifests in different ways and progresses at a different pace ...
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Prepare to be thrust into a series of rude awakenings the first time someone close to you is hospitalized. You hardly have time to come to grips with the overall gravity of...
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Call it the great dementia-drug dilemma: In order to get new medications approved to treat Alzheimer's, scientists need clinical trials (tests) on volunteers who have the d...
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People whose family members have dementia find respite in all kinds of ways -- many (myself included) by escaping to the pleasure of a good book. Publishers must realize th...
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Bartering — the age-old, cash-free practice of trading goods and services — is in vogue again now that, well, nobody has much cash. According to the Internation...
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Yes, you're right to be concerned any time memory loss is an issue. Alzheimer's or other kinds of dementia are not inevitable side effects of aging. Their incidence does ri...
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There's no simple answer. The general rule of thumb is that a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's can expect to live half as along as a peer who doesn't have the disease. For...
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How do you share bad news or bring up sad occasions with someone who has Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia?Today, for example, is my mother's 82nd birthday -- the seco...
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There, I'm feeling better today. And not just because Inauguration Day always brings an air of fresh beginnings. I'm on the upswing because…it's not yesterday. Yes, ...
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Hitting. Kicking. Grabbing. Pushing. Cursing. Biting. Throwing. Scratching. News this week about these explosive and combative behaviors that can appear in someone with mi...
