AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementia
If the person you care for asks questions repeatedly, has trouble performing simple tasks, or forgets recent events, he or she may have a form of dementia.
There are several causes for dementia, so you should have the person diagnosed by a doctor.
Some dementia may be caused by factors that can be treated, such as drug interactions, severe diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, or depression.
The most common kind of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease. It is not curable.
There are many helpful resources for family caregivers coping with dementia, including:
- Websites and books on dementia
- Caring for a person with dementia
- Activity ideas and tips for people with dementia
- Caregiver support groups
- Services and programs that provide help with care
- Other Resources
Websites and Books on Dementia
- Alzheimer's Association, Washington State Chapter
or call their 24-hour helpline to talk with someone who can help you get services and support.
24-Hour Toll-free: 1-800-848-7097 or 206-363-5500 - Alzheimer's Society of Washington
Toll Free 1-800-493-3959 - Alzheimer's Association (National)
- Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) The Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center Web site will help you find current, comprehensive Alzheimer's disease (AD) information and resources from the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
- Helpquide.org is a website for the general public that includes detailed information on the signs, symptoms and treatment of a variety of different types of dementia and detailed caregiving information.
Books
- Taking Care of Aging Family Member: A Practical Guide. Wendy Lustbader and Nancy Hooyman. (paperback) New York: Free Press, Rev/Ex edition (1994).
- Counting on Kindness, Dilemmas of Dependency. Wendy Lustbader. (paperback) New York: Free Press (1991).
- The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life. Nancy L. Mace, and Peter V. Rabins. Mass Market Paperback (2001)
- The Forgetting. Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic. David Shenk, New York: Doubleday (2001).
Websites for Caring for a Person with Dementia
- Helping Memory-Impaired Elders: A Guide for Caregivers, (PDF) by V.I. Schmall and M. Cleland. Discusses dementia in later life and ways to cope more effectively with the resulting changes. Provides general care and management guidelines and how to handle specific problems such as driving, wandering, money management, hallucinations, eating, incontinence, hiding of items, and communication.
- Partnering With Your Doctor: A guide for persons with memory problems and their caregivers from the Alzheimer’s Association.
- Caregiver's Guide to Understanding Dementia Behaviors from the Family Caregiver’s Alliance
- Caregiving Basics: A Resource List This resource list gives an overview of some of the many books, brochures, videotapes, audiotapes, and newsletters about Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia that are available.
- 12 Tips for Caregivers: Caring for Yourself While Helping A Loved One With A Alzheimer's Disease (PDF) from the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving.
- Caregiver Guide from the Alzheimer’s Association.
- Working with Your Doctor When You Suspect Memory Problems (PDF)
- Prepare to Care – A Planning Guide for Families - This guide from AARP is designed to help you and other family members discuss and create a caregiving plan for yourself or an aging parent, other relative, close friend, or neighbor.
- Caring.com is a caregiver website that covers a variety of topics including caring for a person with dementia.
Activity Ideas and Tips for People with Dementia
- Activities: a guide for caregivers of people with dementia a booklet from Alzheimer’s Scotland explores the many ways to plan and provide appropriate activities.
- Recreationaltherapy.com : Activity ideas from recreational therapists.
- Zarcrom.com : Information about considerations in planning activities including suggestions for how to make activities meaningful and appropriate.
- Activity Ideas that Work: This article and others on this website lists activity ideas including suggested material lists. For those working in a care facility, the site also includes instructions for implementing activity programs and sample activity calendars.
- Activities at Home: Planning the Day for the Person with Dementia from the Alzheimer’s Association
- Dementia and Art: Tips for Art at Home (PDF)
Caregiver Support Groups
Surveys of caregivers report that one of the most stressful parts of caregiving is the feeling of isolation that caregiving often brings.
Support groups can provide a sense of connection and:
- Offer an opportunity to share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.
- Compare notes and learn from others in a similar situation.
- A safe place to share feelings honestly, without having to be strong or put up a brave front for the family. No one understands as well as a fellow caregiver.
Today, there are also internet support groups that make it easy to connect with others without having to leave home and can fit around your schedule.
Find a Support Group
Staff with your local Family Caregiver Support Program can help you find a support group where you live. Find your local Family Caregiver Support Program. Learn more about other services offered by the Family Caregiver Support Program.
The Alzheimer’s Association sponsors support groups. Find a Alzheimer’s Association sponsored support group.
Services and Programs that Provide Help with Care
This website has several links to help. Learn more about:
- What you need to know to get started finding care services.
- Care that can be provided a person’s home.
- Other residential care housing if they can no longer live at home.
- Legal planning and advance directives.
- Finding other benefits the person may have.
Other Resources
The Alzheimer’s Association has a free on-line tool called CareFinder to help people with Alzheimer’s and their families identify the right care options for the individual. You enter information about a person’s needs, abilities, and preferences, and CareFinder generates a private, customized printout with recommendations and questions to ask when screening a residential care facility (or caregiver).
