Physical Fitness

Check out CBS News information on physical fitness possibly slowing down brain shrinkage in patients with early Alzheimer's disease.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/14/ap/health/main4260964.shtml?source=search_story

You can also read about this research through the American Academy of Neurology at http://www.aan.com/press/index.cfm?fuseaction=release.view&release=641.


Ready, Set, Go Exercise!!!

Ready, Set, Exercise!!!

Physical activity is not just for the young. Regular exercise is important to the health and abilities of the aging population. According to the National Institute on Aging, as older people lose the ability to do things on their own, it is not because of the aging process, but instead because they have become inactive. Exercise: A Guide From the National Institute on Aging explains what exercise and physical activity can do for a person, how to exercise safely and how to remain motivated and ready to exercise. Almost every older adult can safely perform some type of physical activity at little or no cost. Some household chores may even improve health. If you are interested in checking out a copy of Exercise: A Guide From the National Institute on Aging, contact Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area at (225) 334-7494 or visit the office at 3772 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806.

Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area

July Lunch 'n Learn
"Keeping Your Body Fit and Exercising with the Elderly" presented by Exercise Physiologist Elke Elzey. If you are interested in attending either the July 23rd program or the July 30th program, please contact Judith Scroggs, Program Coordinator at (225) 334-7494 for registration.

Check out the American Health Assistance
Foundation information on exercise and Alzheimer's disease at http://www.ahaf.org/alzdis/about/adhealth.htm.

Wondering About Wandering?

Care giving for an Alzheimer's patient requires attention to every aspect of the disease. Family members and caregivers of patients should not disregard the potential act of wandering. Sixty percent of Alzheimer's patients are at risk for wandering, most commonly during the middle stages of the disease. Wondering why it is so important to be aware of this common behavior?

Although the average distance a wandering patient achieves is only half of a mile, it can be life-threatening. If not located within a 24-hour period, 46% of wandering individuals may die. Nearly half of wandering Alzheimer's patients may die if not found within one day.

Why do they wander?
•Attempting to leave because they no longer recognize the physical environment, i.e. trying to go “home” to a childhood home
•Restlessness/Boredom
•Confusion about time/place
•Over-stimulation from crowds, noise, and activities
•Argument with caregiver
•Fear caused by delusions, false beliefs, or hallucinations
•An inability to communicate basic needs to caregivers
•Went outdoors and couldn't find way home
•Looking for a spouse or child because relatives no longer look familiar
•Medication side effects
•A desire to meet former obligations that no longer exist, i.e. jobs, volunteering, etc.

According to the Alzheimer's Association's Safe Return program, there are
10 Tips to Reduce Alzheimer Wandering:

1) Be prepared. There’s no way to predict who will wander or when, or how it might happen. The best safety measure is to register a loved one in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Safe Return Program before a loved one gets lost.

2) Encourage movement and exercise. Make a shared exercise, such as walking, part of your daily routine together. This will reduce anxiety and restlessness. Also, allow the person with Alzheimer’s access to a safe, enclosed area.

3) Be objective. Don’t take the person’s wandering behavior personally.

4) Be aware of hazards. Places that look safe might be dangerous for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Look in and around your home for potential hazards - fences and gates, bodies of water, pools, dense foliage, bus stops, steep stairways, high balconies and roadways with heavy traffic - and change what you can or block access.

5) Secure the living area. Do what you can to make your home safe and secure. Place locks out of the normal line of vision - either very high or very low on doors. Use doorknobs that prevent the person with Alzheimer’s from opening the door. Other safety precautions include placing locks on gates, camouflaging doors, fencing in the patio or yard, installing electronic alarms or chimes on doors and using familiar objects, signs and nightlights to guide the person around a safe area.

6) Communicate with the person. Regularly remind and reassure the person with Alzheimer’s that you know how to find him and that he’s in the right place.

7) Identify the person. Have the person wear a Safe Return identification bracelet or necklace. Use sew-on or iron-on labels or permanent markers to mark clothing. Place identification on shoes, keys and eyeglasses and in wallets and handbags.

8) Involve the neighbors. Inform your neighbors of your loved one’s condition and keep a list of their names and phone numbers handy in case of emergency.

9) Involve the police. Some police departments will keep a photo and fingerprints of people with Alzheimer’s on file. Have the following information ready for emergencies: the person’s age, hair color, eye color, identifying marks, blood type, medical conditions, medication, dental work, jewelry and allergies.

10) Be prepared for other modes of wandering. Although most wandering takes place on foot, some people with Alzheimer’s have been known to drive hundreds of miles - sometimes in a vehicle that belongs to someone else. To prevent this problem, keep car keys out of sight or temporarily disable the car by removing its distributor cap. People with Alzheimer’s also have traveled great distances by train, airplane and public transportation.

The Safe Return program provides individuals with identification jewelry that states that the individual is memory-impaired, provided with an ID number and Safe Return number. If a wandering person is found with this jewelry, the finder can call a toll-free crisis phone line. A national database allows the Safe Return program to contact the member's contacts, making sure the person is returned home.

If you are interested in enrolling for the Safe Return program, contact Alzheimer's Services at (225) 334-7494 or 1-800-548-1211.

What to do if you find a wandering Alzheimer's patient:

1) Remember to treat the person with respect and dignity
2) Avoid restraints if possible
3) Approach from the front and introduce yourself
4) Speak slowly and calmly
5) Keep the “climate” calm and supportive
6) Ask only one question at a time
7) Keep instructions positive
8) Substitute non-verbal for verbal communication
9) Avoid Shouting
10) Keep explanation simple
11) Call Safe Return if the person has the identifiable jewelry

For more information concerning this important issue, please call Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area.

Healthy Home Tips

At-home care for a person with Alzheimer's Disease can be difficult at times. Having a safe home environment that promotes cognitive stimulation is an ideal setting for a person with Alzheimer's disease, and it may take some worrying away from the caregiver! We found some simple suggestions that can aid with increasing the quality of life for a person with Alzheimer's and their family.


The following household tips, published on the Disabled-World website, can aid in cognitive stimulation:

• Implementing visual cues and reminders throughout the home can insure a sense of security and reduce confusion for a person with Alzheimer's Disease. Putting an enclosed display box with personal mementos outside of the person's bedroom can reduce confusion in a home hallway with multiple doors.


• Hanging clocks around the house depicting certain activites at the proper time can help a person remember daily routines.


• Replacing stale, all white design schemes with pastel colors has proven to promote a sense of calmness. Also, varying wall colors in different rooms can remind a person with Alzheimer's which activities occur in which rooms.


• Giving a person with Alzheimer's a box of photos, toys and mementos can be stimulating and reduce the person's need to find stimulants in areas that may be unsafe.

Often times, being aware of basic safety rules can make the home environment a safer place. WebMD recently published a list of safe and effective guidelines in order to provide safe and effective caregiving in the home. Help make your home a safer environment for a person with Alzheimer's disease by asking yourself the following questions:

• Are all entrances and exits are clearly marked and be accessed safely?


• Are railings and stairs outside the home properly working?


• Can the windows and doors in the house be opened and locked easily?


• Are sharp objects the in kitchen safely stored?


• Are towels, curtains and other flamable items away from the range or stove?


• Can food items be safely transported from the food to dining area?


• Is there a clear path from the bedroom to the bathroom?


• Is the phone accessible in all rooms of the house?


• Is is easy for your loved one to get in and out of the tub in the bathroom? If not, consider installing a walk-in shower. Or consider installing grab bars around the tub. Note: Towel racks are not sturdy enough to be used as grab bars.


• Are nightlights installed in the bathroom?


• Are all bathmats non-slip?


• Is there adequate lighting at the top and bottom of stairways?


• Are stairway railings sercure? Consider installing handrails on both sides of stairwell.

Click Here for a more extensive list of tips and guidelines.

Want to learn more information about Alzheimer's and dementia? Visit us online at www.brhope.com. Thanks for reading!

Alzheimer's: Is the Cure in the Genes?

Erin Mayeux, Alzheimer's Services' Program Coordinator, passed along this great video on new studies surrounding the correlation between genes and Alzheimer's disease. Here's the link to watch it: Is the Cure in the Genes?
If you have some problems with the video cutting out or stopping, select the stop or pause button and wait a few seconds (around 30 seconds to a minute) for the video to load (or buffer), then press play again.
If you find this video enlightening, please feel free to comment on this entry! Thanks for reading!

Tips for Catchin' Some ZZZs

As you may already know, Alzheimer's disease can cause severe troubles with going to and staying asleep throughout the night. As the disease progresses, these problems tend to worsen - causing many "night time" awakenings and troublesome behaviors.
The magazine care ADvantage, a publication of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, ran a great article in the Fall of 2007 that gave some wonderful tips on how to improve the sleep patterns of a person with dementia or Alzheimer's .

Here are some of the tips the article listed that could assist caregivers with nighttime "tiffs" and get you back to your pillow:

Consistency is key. Stick to a routine for eating meals, waking and bedtime. The more person is on schedule, the more likely the person will be used to heading to bed at the same time.

Shorten nap times. Even though Alzheimer's patients tend to need some sleep during the day, make sure to limit those "snooze times" to be shorter, infrequent and earlier in the day. This will ensure that the person is tired when bedtime rolls around. Also, make sure that a bed is only used for nighttime sleeping, not napping, so that the patient associates his/her bed with longer sleeping times.

Open the shades. Let the sun come in, in the morning, so that the bright light will normalize a person's sleep rhythms, and ultimately regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

No drinks before bedtime. Make sure to restrict intakes of liquids especially drinks that contain caffeine and sugar) late in the day, so the individual will be rested for nighttime sleep. Also, make sure to limit water and other drinks before bedtime in order to reduce waking for bathroom breaks.

To read all the tips in the article, click here and go to the 9th page (or page 7 inside the publication).

Alzheimer's disease on National News

World News with Charles Gibson (of the ABC broadcasting network) featured a short spot on last night's evening news about Alzheimer's disease and the benefits of exercising.

To watch the clip, please go to: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4476964&affil=wbrz

While searching for the clip from last night's news program, I found another interesting interview with David Hyde Pierce (you might remember him from the tv show Frasier) and Father Beck. David's father and grandfather both had Alzheimer's disease and he now volunteers with Alzheimer's Association. Check out the interview here: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4455462&affil=wbrz