Alzheimer’s/Dementia

• 135,000 caregivers

• 154 M unpaid hours

• $1.945 Billion value

• $93 Million healthcare

costs

• Caregiver fear:

caregiver dies before

person with dementia

Iowa Caregivers

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Dementia is……

• a set of

symptoms, and

• a general term for

a decline in

mental ability

severe enough to

interfere with

daily life.

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Effects of dementia on

Cognition (thinking skills) Memory

Motor Skills

Language

Attention

Perception

Abstraction

Judgment

Dementia affects:

• various parts of the brain

• to different degrees,

• and the symptoms occur in no

particular order.

• Dementia changes how people

experience the world.

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Infection

(i.e.UTI)

Medications

Dehydration

Malnutrition

Vitamin

deficiencies

Depression

Common reversible dementia

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Common Irreversible Forms of Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease (60-80%)

Vascular dementia (10%)

Lewy Body dementia (4-5%)

Frontal Temporal Lobe (<1%)

(diseases (ie..Pick’s)

Mixed dementia

Parkinson’s disease

(sometimes)

Creutzfeldt Jacob

disease

Huntington’s disease

Head trauma (TBI,

CTE)

Alcoholism

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A Sketch Comparing Brain Slices

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The definition that matters most

Alzheimer’s is fundamentally:

• broken connections between

brain cells that causes

• broken connections between

people

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1. Memory changes that disrupt daily life

2. Challenges in planning and solving problems

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks

4. Confusion with time or place

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

8. Decreased or poor judgment

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities

10. Changes in mood or personality

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Communication: Middle Stage

• Changes – Increased difficulty finding the right words

– Using familiar words repeatedly

– Inventing new words to describe familiar things

– Easily losing train of thought

– Speaking less frequently

– Communicating through behavior rather than words more often

• Strategies to Connect – Approach the person gently and from the front

– Join the person’s reality

– Keep it slow and basic

– Give multiple cues

– Respond empathetically and reassure

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Do’s

• Introduce yourself

• Lead with your heart

• Smile

• Be kind and respectful

• Use simple words

• Short sentences

• Use reminiscing

• Make eye contact

Don’t

• Play 20 questions

• Be disagreeable

• Use big words

• Assume lack of

understanding

Interaction tips

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Managing Challenging Behaviors

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Challenging Behaviors…..

• May be a way to communicate

• Behavioral Symptoms-

– Irritability, anxiety, or

depression

– Sleep changes

– Physical or verbal outbursts

– Emotional distress

– Restlessness, wandering

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Causes of Behavioral Changes

• Physical discomfort from an illness, pain

or medication side effects

• Overstimulation from a busy or loud

environment

• Unfamiliar surroundings

• Loneliness or boredom

• Difficulty with activities or chores

• Feelings of anger, worry, fear and

frustration from trying to make sense out

of and increasingly confusing world

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Understand the Behavior…..

• What happened just before the

behavior occurred?

• How frequently does the behavior

occur?

• Does it occur at the same time of day

• Is it a new behavior?

• Where did the behavior happen?

• What happened right after the

behavior?

• Has there been a recent change in

medication?

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Find Ways to Respond….

• Are needs being

met?

• Don’t forget dignity

• Create great life

experiences

• Adapt or change

surroundings

• Did my reaction

make it worse?

• “Tell me about

that…..”

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Emotional Memory

“I've learned that

people will forget

what you said,

people will forget

what you did, but

people will never

forget how you made

them feel.”

Maya Angelou

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Emotional Memory

• Emotional memory

is NOT lost

• While a person

with dementia will

lose cognitive

memory, they will

not lose how you

make them feel.

• Create moments of

joy

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“Caregivers who are

resilient provide

better care to their

loved one with

dementia and take

better care of

themselves.”

Alzheimer’s Association

Role

• Information and referral

• Care Consultations

• Support Groups

• Education

• BRAINWORKS CONFERENCE

• Medic Alert-Safe Return

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24/7 Helpline

800-272-3900

Website:

www.alz.org

RESOURCES