Life with Alzheimer's
11
Life With Alzheimer’s November 19, 2013 Presented by: Tom Knox CareFamily.com
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In this presentation, Tom Knox - founder of CareFamily.com - talks about life with Alzheimer's. This was originally used for a webinar to help families who have seniors with Alzheimer's. This can also be very useful for care providers who are assisting in giving care to someone with Dementia or Alzheimer's. The presentation is based out of a lot of personal experience that CareFamily families have dealt with as they have had to learn to cope with Alzheimer's. Life with Alzheimer's can be very challenging. You will be able to get a great general overview of some things you can do today to make your situation better. To get more in depth information, you should look into the resources we mention at the end of the presentation. Our hope is that the presentation serves as a great resource for you as you learn how to cope with Alzheimer's.
Transcript of Life with Alzheimer's
Life With Alzheimer’s
November 19, 2013
Presented by:
Tom Knox
CareFamily.com
Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
What is Alzheimer’s?
CareFamily.com
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Basics
• Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementiao Accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases
• Alzheimer's is not a normal part of agingo Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset
Alzheimer’s, which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s
• Alzheimer's worsens over timeo Progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually
worsen over a number of years• Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms
are available and research continueso Worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the
disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing
CareFamily.com
Some Quick Facts from The Alzheimer’s Association
Living with Alzheimer’s: Changes in Behavior
• Aggression and Anger
• Anxiety and Agitation
• Memory Loss and Confusion
• Depression
• Hallucinations
• Suspicion and Delusions
• Sleep Issues and Sundowning
• Repetition
• Wandering and Getting Lost
CareFamily.com
Top Five Tips for Caregiving
1. Try not to take behavior personally
2. Remain patient and calm
3. Explore pain as a trigger
4. Don’t argue or try to convince
5. Accept behaviors as a reality of the disease and try to work through it
CareFamily.com
My Experience with Alzheimer’s
• My paternal grandmother and my wife’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s
• Referred to as “hardening of the arteries”
• Strange behavior at first
• Became more difficult and unreasonable
• Both were cared for by family caregiver
CareFamily.com
Excellent Resources
• Alzheimer’s Association o www.alz.orgo www.communityresourcefinder.orgo Offices / Chapters throughout the U.S.o 24-Hour Helpline: 1-800-272-3900
• Carefamily.como Info.CareFamily.como Videos, webinars, white papers and articles
• Online educationo Alz.org
✓ E-learning workshops, training and certification, books and DVDs
o CareFamily.com✓ Free courses; certification
CareFamily.com makes it easy for you to find, hire, and pay the right caregiver.
“ My beloved grandmother was neglected in a facility. It inspired me to start an agency that successfully hired and cared for thousands of seniors at home. I have realized that there are great caregivers who want to build their careers at a livable wage. Our goal is to provide you great career options with the best families in America.”
- Tom Knox, Founder
Our Story … Your Story
Held by my great grandmother … 4 Generations of my family.
