A Caregiver’s Guide to Dementia: Using Activities and Other Strategies to Prevent, Reduce and Manage Behavioral Symptoms
Mom has nothing to do and I’m concerned about her quality of life.
My husband gets agitated when I need to leave the house. I don’t know what to do.
My father keeps asking the same questions over and over.
These are some of the common challenges encountered by individuals and families who are caring for a parent, spouse or close relative with dementia. This easy-to-use, practical guide is designed to help at-home caregivers navigate these daily challenges. Although there is no cure for dementia or its many behavioral symptoms, there are clear and proven strategies that can be used to enhance the quality of life for persons diagnosed with dementia – strategies that can make a real difference for their families.
A Caregiver’s Guide to Dementia explores the use of activities and other techniques to prevent, reduce and manage the behavioral symptoms of dementia. Separate sections cover daily activities, effective communication, especially difficult behaviors, and explicit strategies to deal with agitation, repetitive questions, acting-out, wandering, restlessness, hoarding, resistance to care, incontinence, destructiveness, sexually and socially inappropriate acts at home and in public, aggressiveness, depression, sleep disturbances and home safety. Worksheets are provided to help caregivers customize the strategies that work best for them.
The strategies featured in this guide have been used by the authors in their research studies and reflect approaches and techniques that families have found to be most helpful.
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss
Through five editions, The 36-Hour Day has been an essential resource for families who love and care for people with Alzheimer disease. Whether a person has Alzheimer disease or another form of dementia, he or she will face a host of problems. The 36-Hour Day will help family members and caregivers address these challenges and simultaneously cope with their own emotions and needs.
Featuring useful takeaway messages and informed by recent research into the causes of and the search for therapies to prevent or cure dementia, this edition includes new information on:
• Devices to make life simpler and safer for people who have dementia
• Strategies for delaying behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms
• Changes in Medicare and other health care insurance laws
• Palliative care, hospice care, durable power of attorney, and guardianship
• Dementia due to traumatic brain injury
• Choosing a residential care facility
• Support groups for caregivers, friends, and family members
The central idea underlying the book ― that much can be done to improve the lives of people with dementia and of those caring for them ― remains the same. The 36-Hour Day is the definitive dementia care guide.
Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer’s Journey: A Guide for Families and Caregivers
The beloved best seller has been revised and expanded for the fifth edition. Jolene Brackey has a vision: That we will soon look beyond the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease to focus more of our energies on creating moments of joy. When people have short-term memory loss, their lives are made up of moments. We are not able to create perfectly wonderful days for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s, but we can create perfectly wonderful moments, moments that put a smile on their faces and a twinkle in their eyes. Five minutes later, they will not remember what we did or said, but the feeling that we left them with will linger. The new edition of Creating Moments of Joy is filled with more practical advice sprinkled with hope, encouragement, new stories, and generous helpings of humor. In this volume, Brackey reveals that our greatest teacher is having cared for and loved someone with Alzheimer’s and that often what we have most to learn about is ourselves.
Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease
More than four million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and as many as twenty million have close relatives or friends with the disease. Revolutionizing the way we perceive and live with Alzheimer’s, Joanne Koenig Coste offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers that emphasizes relating to patients in their own reality. Her accessible and comprehensive method, which she calls habilitation, works to enhance communication between carepartners and patients and has proven successful with thousands of people living with dementia.
Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s also offers hundreds of practical tips, including how to:
• Cope with the diagnosis and adjust to the disease’s progression
• Help the patient talk about the illness
• Face the issue of driving
• Make meals and bath times as pleasant as possible
• Adjust room design for the patient’s comfort
• Deal with wandering, paranoia, and aggression
Coach Broyles’ Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers
From Frank Broyles: “It wasn’t always easy for me to find the answers my family needed about Alzheimer’s disease, and at times I was frustrated and confused. I promised myself that one day I would share all that I had learned – from my research and my experience –with other families that were dealing with Alzheimer’s. This dream came true when the Playbook was created and made available to my fellow Arkansans. We received calls and letters from so many people thanking us for sharing our story and information that I decided to make my dream bigger, and share the Playbook with people across our country. I gathered my team, and together, with the help and support of many Arkansan people and companies, we were able to generate the funding and expertise needed to make this Playbook for anyone wanting information on how to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. It is my hope that you can benefit from my experience.”
The Healthy Mind Cookbook: Big-Flavor Recipes to Enhance Brain Function, Mood, Memory, and Mental Clarity
A collection of more than 120 recipes formulated to optimize brain health, boost memory, improve mood, sharpen the central nervous system, and more.
Depression, ADHD, memory loss, agitation: These may seem like inevitable byproducts of modern lives spent multitasking, not getting enough sleep, and operating on digital overload. But while much of the brain’s work still remains a mystery, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the food you eat directly affects how well your brain functions. Brain health also plays a significant role in staving off diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
In The Healthy Mind Cookbook, Rebecca Katz has harnessed the latest research on the brain to identify the foods that can improve the brain’s ability to control cognition, emotion, and physical function — all of which dictate memory and mood. She then translates the very best of brain science into the kitchen, using delicious nutrient-dense foods as a tool for promoting a healthy mind from childhood through the golden years.
With a culinary pharmacy listing the benefits of key ingredients, complete nutritional details for each dish, and flavor-packed recipes for every meal of the day, including Avocado and Citrus Salad, Sweet Potato Hash, Turkish Lamb Sliders, and Chocolate Cherry Walnut Truffles, The Healthy Mind Cookbook will help lift the fog of everyday life so you can reach your full physical and mental potential.
Color Your Mind: A Coloring Book for Those with Alzheimer’s and the People Who Love Them
Color Your Mind: A Coloring Book for Those with Alzheimer’s and the People Who Love Them is an innovative book filled with both information and inspiration. In a category all its own, Color Your Mind is the first and only coloring book created specifically for people with Alzheimer’s.
Authored by award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and Alzheimer’s advocate Maria Shriver, this book was developed with insights from caregivers, neurologists, psychologists, and, of course, people with Alzheimer’s. Color Your Mind is a resource for caregivers, family, and friends to help forge communication and connection with people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
Each coloring page is accompanied by relevant information and prompts to help people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers to create, connect, and reflect. Color Your Mind is unique in that it connects coloring with helpful information about wellness, social connection, nutrition, exercise, moving the mind, and sleep — all valuable lessons for a fulfilling, balanced life.
The activities, images, and approach in Color Your Mind were developed and refined through visits to nursing homes and memory care facilities. These visits and interactions also informed the selection of cheerful, inspiring coloring images throughout the book.
Picture Book of Psalms: For Seniors with Dementia
This calming picture book offers self-empowerment, hope, and dignity to people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or those rehabilitating after a stroke. Share the relaxing pleasures with a loved one of flipping through favorite inspirational Scripture verses from the Book of Psalms alongside high quality, colorful images of nature.
Rekindle the love of books for elderly readers with dementia. Seeing these beautiful photos can spark conversation or reminiscence, reinforcing a sense of self and identity.
The Picture Book of Bible Verses: A Gift Book for Alzheimer’s Patients and Seniors with Dementia
This beautiful picture book with only a few words of large-print text is designed for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. If someone you love is finding it difficult or frustrating to read books but they still enjoy the relaxing pleasure of turning the pages, this book is for them. It is also an excellent activity for seniors who are suffering from Parkinson’s disease or recovering from a stroke.
Thumbing through this picture book with a loved one is an activity that is calming at the same time it encourages interaction. People with dementia often have difficulty with short-term memory, but many of their long-term memories are intact. If they learned any of these Bible verses when they were younger, they may enjoy recalling them now. All the Bible verses in this book are short, uplifting, and reassuring, and each one is illustrated by a full-page, full-color, inspirational photo.
Alzheimer’s/Dementia Interactive Activity Books for Patients and Caregivers – Three Books: Flowers, America, & Fun and Games
Shadowbox Press activity books offer an easy and effective way to improve the quality of communication for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, brain injury, dementia, or other memory-impairment condition.
Our books are simple, engaging picture books developed for memory-challenged adults and their caregivers, family members, and activity directors. The books are designed to supply sensory and cognitive stimulation in order to promote opportunities to reminisce, recall special memories, and share stories together.
The books feature: Enlightening information and/or entertaining stories; simple, easy-to-read, large-print text; vivid photographs; engaging conversation starters; and interactive activities to extend the experience.
The Picture Book of Dogs: A Gift Book for Alzheimer’s Patients and Seniors with Dementia
Do you sometimes find it difficult to engage your loved one with dementia? To help them stay calm in the midst of an emotional reaction? To find activities you can share with them that encourage peaceful interaction?
This book can help.
Thumbing through this beautiful picture book with your loved one is an activity that will capture their attention, engage their mind, and encourage them to relax. Seeing these beautiful photos of dogs may also inspire them to talk about current pets or reminisce about pets they once had.
Picture Book of Puppies for Seniors with Dementia
This calming picture book offers self-empowerment, hope, and dignity to people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or those rehabilitating after a stroke. Share the relaxing pleasures with a loved one of flipping through high quality, colorful images of the cutest puppies.
Seeing these beautiful photos can spark conversation or reminisce, reinforcing a sense of self and identity. Rekindle the love of books for elderly readers with this book of adorable pictures of young dogs.
Picture Book of Kittens for Seniors with Dementia
This calming picture book offers self-empowerment, hope, and dignity to people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or those rehabilitating after a stroke. Share the relaxing pleasures with a loved one of flipping through high quality, colorful images of the cutest kittens.
Seeing these beautiful photos can spark conversation or reminisce, reinforcing a sense of self and identity. Rekindle the love of books for elderly readers with this book of adorable pictures of young cats.
The Picture Book of Birds for Seniors with Dementia
This calming picture book offers self-empowerment, hope, and dignity to people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or those rehabilitating after a stroke. Share the relaxing pleasures with a loved one of flipping through high quality, colorful images of the beautiful birds.
Seeing these beautiful photos can spark conversation or reminisce, reinforcing a sense of self and identity. Rekindle the love of books for elderly readers with this book of adorable pictures of wild birds in nature.
Colors: An Exploration of Color through Poetry and Pictures – An Interactive Book for Memory-Impaired Adults
Enjoy Colors with your loved one as you are taken on a fascinating journey through the vivid world of color with poetry and photographs by authors Deborah Drapac and Matthew Schneider. From a crisp red apple to a shiny yellow taxi cab, each page will entertain the reader with its fun, imaginative verse accompanied by iconic, full-color images.
Managing Alzheimer’s and Dementia Behaviors: Health Care Edition
The primary purpose of this Health Care Edition of Managing Alzheimer’s and Dementia Behavior, written by Gary Joseph LeBlanc, is to assist healthcare professionals and family caregivers alike in providing the best care possible to those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases while promoting a dementia friendly environment. The book aims to create a better understanding on managing behaviors and proper ways to communicate with people living with dementia while at the same time bridging the communication gap between professional caregivers and family caregivers. One key take-away from this book is to always remember that each patient is unique, but the disease can often be manageable with the use of common sense, diligence and, most importantly, with love. The ultimate goal is to make sure those with dementia are getting the best quality of life, for this is truly the best scenario for both parties involved.