ALZHEIMER’S EDUCATIONAL WEBINAR SERIES

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Webinar: Recognizing Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Those Living with Dementia

Webinar: Recognizing Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Those Living with Dementia

August 4 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

Click here to register

This webinar will assist learners in recognizing some of the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression in those living with dementia.  It will address the similarities and differences between symptoms seen in those with healthy brains and those living with brain change.  Attendees will also learn how to respond to these symptoms to decrease the chances for escalation and ‘non-helpful’ hospitalizations.

Objectives:   By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe some common signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety
  2. Discuss the ways in which these symptoms may present differently in those living with dementia
  3. Describe recommended strategies to address depression and anxiety in those living with dementia

 

Guest speaker:

Teepa Snow

Occupational Therapist

Founder, Positive Approach to Care

 

Click here to register

Thank you to our webinar sponsors:

Details
Date:
August 4
Time:
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

COVID-19 Guidance for Caregivers of People Living with Dementia

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If you care for someone living with dementia, it’s important that you know what you can do to protect yourself and others during the COVID-19 pandemic and what additional steps you can take to protect your loved one:

  • Know when you need to seek medical attention for your loved one.
  • Call a healthcare provider if your loved one has symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Be aware that older adults with COVID-19 may not always have typical symptoms such as a fever or cough.
  • Use CDC’s Self-Checker guide to help make decisions about your loved one and know when to seek appropriate medical care.

If your loved one has advanced dementia and needs to be hospitalized for COVID-19, make sure hospital staff know that your in-person assistance might be required to communicate important health information and emergency support. Here are several important issues to consider:

Be prepared to be in a healthcare setting with your loved one. Be prepared to use personal protective measures as recommended by the hospital staff if you are in the room with your loved one.

Be aware that you and healthcare providers may face difficulties caring for your loved one because he or she:

May not cooperate with care and may not follow personal protective measures such as wearing a cloth face covering or practicing social distancing

May refuse diagnostic procedures

In this case, do as much as you can, or as much as you are allowed to, to help the person living with advanced dementia to follow CDC guidance.

  • If you get sick, follow CDC guidance and have a backup caregiver for your loved one.
  • Incorporate CDC guidance into your daily routine and the daily routine of your loved one:
  • Wear cloth face coverings and make sure that others wear them.
  • Do NOT place a cloth face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, is incapacitated, or is unable to remove the mask without assistance.
  • Wash hands often.
  • Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Caregivers: Be Aware of the Symptoms for COVID-19

The first step in caring for people living with dementia in any setting is to understand that changes in behavior or worsening symptoms of dementia should be evaluated because they can be an indication of COVID-19 infection or worsening stress and anxiety. Not everyone with COVID-19 has symptoms, but when people with dementia do have COVID-19 symptoms,4 they can include the following:

  • Increased agitation
  • Increased confusion
  • Sudden sadness
  • Coughing
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

Caregivers Can Be First Responders Under Stress: Know How to Take Care of Yourself

As a caregiver, you provide care to people who need some degree of ongoing assistance with everyday tasks on a regular basis. During this pandemic, you may also be a first responder, providing the first line of response and defense to your loved one living with dementia. First responders often experience stress due to heavy workloads, fatigue, and other situations that come with an emergency. There are important steps you should take during and after an emergency event to help manage and cope with stress.10 To take care of others, you must be feeling well and thinking clearly. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself:

  • Eat a healthy diet, avoid using drugs and alcohol, and get plenty of sleep and regular exercise to help reduce stress and anxiety. Activities as simple as taking a walk, stretching, and deep breathing can help relieve stress.
  • Establish and maintain a routine. Try to eat meals at regular times, and put yourself on a sleep schedule to ensure you get enough rest. Include a positive or fun activity in your schedule that you can look forward to each day or week. If possible, schedule exercise into your daily routine.
  • Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.  If you want to stay up-to-date on the pandemic, visit CDC’s website for the latest recommendations on what you can do to protect yourself and those you care for.
  • Make time to unwind. Try to do activities you enjoy.
  • Connect with others. Reach out to family and friends. Talking to someone you trust about your concerns and feelings can help.
  • Call your healthcare provider if stress gets in the way of your daily activities for several days in a row.
  • Find a local support group. Support groups provide a safe place for you to find comfort in knowing you are not alone.
  • Have a backup caregiver. In case you become sick with COVID-19, a backup caregiver will ensure that your loved one continues to receive care. You can focus on caring for yourself.7

More Information

Source: CDC

Navigating the COVID-19 Reopening Process: Tips for Alzheimer’s Families

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Navigating the COVID-19 Reopening Process: Tips for Alzheimer’s Families

June 25, 2020

8:07 AM

As states around the country open up after months of prolonged isolation due to COVID-19, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is providing tips to families affected by Alzheimer’s disease about how to protect their loved ones during the reopening process.

“Months of prolonged isolation understandably are making all of us eager to get out and about, but it’s important to remember that even though things are starting to reopen, COVID-19 has not disappeared,” said Allison B. Reiss, MD, a member of AFA’s Medical, Scientific and Memory Screening Advisory Board, Head of the Inflammation Laboratory at NYU Winthrop Hospital’s Biomedical Research Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU Long Island School of Medicine. “Individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-related illnesses have memory impairments that affect their ability to remember things like hand washing, social distancing or wearing a mask. Because of this, family caregivers will need to continue taking steps to keep their loved one as safe and healthy as possible.”

AFA recommends the following measures:

Reinforce preventive steps:  Continuing protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help protect against the virus, such as washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing the nose, is vital.  Because Alzheimer’s impacts memory, someone living with it may need to be repeatedly reminded and helped with these procedures.  Steps caregivers can take to encourage hand washing include:

  • Explain what to do slowly, step by step.
  • Use a fragranced soap, such as lavender, to improve the person’s sensory experience.
  • Speak in a soothing tone.

Spend time outdoors (safely). Walking, exercising or even just being out in the yard are all good for the body (as long as you practice appropriate social distancing and wear masks when around others). Sunlight is also a great source of vitamin D, which can help strengthen the body’s immune system.

Watch what you eat. Maintain a balanced, nutritious diet with fewer processed, high-salt or high-sugar foods. Good hydration is also important, as is adequate vitamin D and C, both of which may help boost immunity.

Limit exposure. Avoid taking the person to grocery stores, restaurants or other large public gatherings. Because COVID-19 is spread when individuals are in close proximity with one another, your risk of contracting coronavirus increases as you are around more people. Limit the number of outside visitors who come into your home to lessen the chances of exposure.  Many doctors are utilizing telemedicine and video visits to see patients. This is another good option to avoid having to travel to in-person care sites.  These visits can be done with a family member or proxy present.

Source: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America

Families who have questions about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease can speak with a licensed social worker, seven days a week, through AFA’s Helpline, calling 866-232-8484. or sending a text message to 646-586-5283

https://caregiver.com/articles/covid-19-reopening/

Additional COVID-19 Guidance for Caregivers of People Living with Dementia in Community Settings

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https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/caregivers-dementia.html

Daily Care & Activities

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https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/daily-care/activities

Choosing the activity

  • Keep the person’s skills and abilities in mind.
  • Pay special attention to what the person enjoys.
  • Consider if the person begins activities without direction.
  • Be aware of physical problems.
  • Focus on enjoyment, not achievement.
  • Encourage involvement in daily life.
  • Relate activity to work life.
  • Look for favorites.
  • Consider time of day.
  • Adjust activities to disease stages.

Your Approach

  • Help get the activity started.
  • Offer support and supervision.
  • Concentrate on the process, not the result.
  • Be flexible.
  • Break activities into simple, easy-to-follow steps.
  • Assist with difficult parts of the task.
  • Let the individual know he or she is needed.
  • Make the connection.
  • Don’t criticize or correct the person.
  • Encourage self expression.
  • Involve the person through conversation.
  • Substitute an activity for a behavior.
  • Try again later.