How can I keep my 80-year-old dad, whose forgetfulness has just been diagnosed as Alzheimer's, from constantly misplacing or losing the remote and the cordless phone?
Expert Answer by Geri R. Hall
Geri R. Hall is an advanced practice nurse who works in the department of neurology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and at the Banner Alzheimer Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. She's also a speaker and author who since 1996 has facilitated the online support group for the Washington University, St. Louis, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's Alzheimer List.
Look for practical solutions. Creating routine is a big help. Keep certain items like the phone, a message board, and a calendar in plain sight in a central location that everybody uses all the time. Your dad learns where things are by repetition, not by reason.
Build in assistive devices, too. Here are some ideas:
- Many cordless phones have a paging system; you push a button on the cradle and the receiver beeps. Show him how to use it, and gently remind him if he forgets.
- You can also buy small pagers to attach to easily misplaced items like key rings. Press the color-coded base station and, through wireless technology, the item answers with an alarm. Look for these and similar aids at places like Brookstone or the Alzheimer's Store at Ageless Design. They offer products designed specifically for people with Alzheimer's or dementia.
- For the TV remote, install a pocket that hangs from his favorite chair. Choose a strongly contrasting color, even if it's not a fashion statement. Keep redirecting him, without berating him, to put the remote there.
Answer
In addition to the solutions given by the expert, another possible answer is have duplicates of the things he's misplacing most often. If the cordless phone is ringing and he can't find it, having another unit in another room, for example, may reduce his anxiety at that given moment. We've got one with three units. We keep one in the kitchen, one in the bedroom and one in the office.
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