Caregiving Guidelines for the Person with Alzheimer's Disease

Caregiving Guidelines for the Person with Alzheimer's Disease (AD)

1. An accepting attitude of the person with AD (Alzheimer's Disease) plus information, education, and an understanding of the disease all help to eliminate the stress of the care provider or staff.
   
2. Be sure to know the personal history of every person with AD in the unit, since each one is carrying his/her life around with them - right there inside.
   
3. Persons with AD still have instincts and feelings just as any other human being, and they will pick up on negativity even when we think we are concealing it. (Think of babies and children.)
   
4. Like other human beings, persons with AD respond to their emotional and physical environment. The feelings we emit often return to us. It is always best not to take the patient's actions personally.
   
5. Use validation therapy with persons with AD. You cannot reason with dementia.
   
6. Eliminate behavioral problems before they happen by structuring the environment therapeutically so that it works with rather than confuses the person with AD. (Creativity may be the answer in an old building and little funds.)
   
7. Remember the person with AD still has reflexes, and their reflexes can often be triggered into action for self-help if we give the person the right cue.
   
8. Since most communication is nonverbal, it is possible to communicate with the person even after she/he ceases to speak. Remember, we communicate with babies.
   
9. For persons who still walk, exercise is as necessary for them as it is for the care provider. They need a safe, long or circular place to walk and wander. Some persons in wheelchairs can also exercise.
   
10. Distraction and validation therapy can often be used instead of force and/or drugs.
    
11. Problem behavior can often be prevented by eliminating too much stimulation from the person's environment. The amount of stimulation should be determined by the person's stage in the disease.
    
12. Make toilets as visible as possible. Take persons to toilet, if necessary, on a regular schedule to avoid incontinence. They still have an internal clock.
    
13. Cleanliness of the intimate body parts is essential in the care of the person with AD.
    
14. Use humor often as a stress releaser. Persons with AD still have a sense of humor.
    
15. The care provider or staff can reduce stress for everyone while providing a quality of life by:
    
    • Accepting persons with AD as fellow human beings;
    • Creating programs that provide an opportunity for the person to succeed; and
    • Designing a therapeutic environment that works for persons with AD.
      
16. There is always a solution to every problem.

 

Source: Lela Knox Shanks, 1994