BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR UNDERSTANDING AND CARING

• The Alzheimer’s patient is an adult and as such should be treated with respect and dignity even though the behavior seems childlike.

• Arguing, confronting and convincing are counterproductive in dealing with Alzheimer’s patients.

• Individuals with dementia illnesses may not exhibit all symptoms, nor all the ones exhibited experienced in the same ways. The course of the disease and the rate of decline are very individual.

• DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE PERSON AS THOUGH HE OR SHE IS NOT THERE. Assume that the person can understand what is being said. Do not laugh at inappropriate behavior or speech.

• Most patients are not intentionally stubborn, mean, suspicious or ungrateful, nor can they be cured or “taught” to remember recent events or moral lessons. It is the disease that causes the troublesome behavior.

• Creativity and flexibility are necessary in your approach to the person for whom you are caring. If one approach does not work, be ready to try another.

• Each task and activity should be simplified and broken into easy steps as much as possible. Reassure the person following each step.

• The person becomes more dependent as the disease progresses, requiring increased supervision.

• The person functions best in a calm environment with familiar routines of daily living. Eliminate the need for the person to make difficult choices.

• Persons with dementia experience reality differently than unaffected people. Arguing will not change their reality. The technique called “reality orientation” is not effective with persons with severe memory loss, although reminders of time or place may be helpful in making some patients comfortable. A more useful approach is to practice reminiscence (remembering and discussing past events). Discussing past events that focus on pleasant experiences as achievements is particularly helpful. This can promote the person’s self esteem.

• Patience is essential when caring for an Alzheimer’s person.