What to Do After an Alzheimer's Diagnosis
What to Do After an Alzheimer's Diagnosis
Rosemary Orange, 53, of Ottawa, Ontario, suspected something was wrong with her 83-year-old mother, Sylvia. "She'd go shopping and forget what she was doing," Orange says. "So she'd come right back home without buying anything."
Several months later, Orange's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a type of dementia that affects nearly 36 million people worldwide. That rate is expected to nearly double in the next 20 years, according to the World Health Organization.
What can you do if a parent or relative is diagnosed with this progressive disease, which affects memory and, eventually, the ability to carry out everyday tasks? Gary Small, MD, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, suggests some steps you can take now.
Be informed. "No. 1 is get the right information," Small says. "A lot of misconceptions surround the disease, and many people are terrified when they first hear the diagnosis."
Find a doctor who has experience treating Alzheimer's. Also, reach out to organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association or Alzheimer's Foundation of America, for education and support, he says.
Plan for the future. Make sure your loved one has updated documents about end-of-life care (called advance directives) and legal documents, such as wills and trusts, in place. "It's best to do that early, when the person [with Alzheimer's] can still have some input," Small says.
Make a safe home. If there's a danger your relative will wander from home, block stairways, or put door handles up high where people with Alzheimer's wouldn't think to reach, Small says.
Keep routines. "Keep everyday activities as routine as possible," and place several orienting items, such as clocks and calendars, around the house, Small says.
"Long-term memory is preserved until late in the illness," he explains. "So if the date is prominently displayed and everyday activities are reinforced, it will be much easier for people to remember and become part of long-term memory."
Slideshow: 14 Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Several months later, Orange's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a type of dementia that affects nearly 36 million people worldwide. That rate is expected to nearly double in the next 20 years, according to the World Health Organization.
What can you do if a parent or relative is diagnosed with this progressive disease, which affects memory and, eventually, the ability to carry out everyday tasks? Gary Small, MD, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, suggests some steps you can take now.
Be informed. "No. 1 is get the right information," Small says. "A lot of misconceptions surround the disease, and many people are terrified when they first hear the diagnosis."
Find a doctor who has experience treating Alzheimer's. Also, reach out to organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association or Alzheimer's Foundation of America, for education and support, he says.
Plan for the future. Make sure your loved one has updated documents about end-of-life care (called advance directives) and legal documents, such as wills and trusts, in place. "It's best to do that early, when the person [with Alzheimer's] can still have some input," Small says.
Make a safe home. If there's a danger your relative will wander from home, block stairways, or put door handles up high where people with Alzheimer's wouldn't think to reach, Small says.
Keep routines. "Keep everyday activities as routine as possible," and place several orienting items, such as clocks and calendars, around the house, Small says.
"Long-term memory is preserved until late in the illness," he explains. "So if the date is prominently displayed and everyday activities are reinforced, it will be much easier for people to remember and become part of long-term memory."
Slideshow: 14 Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
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