The Alzheimer's Caregiver Podcast

When a person has Alzheimer's, their ability to make decisions and use good judgment is affected. This episode will discuss some common everyday routine decisions that are harder for a person with Alzheimer's to make, and what caregivers can do to make decision-making easier.

A lack of sleep is not good for anyone, especially for those with Alzheimer's. This episode will discuss sleep-related issues and provide tips for caregivers to help mitigate problems caused by lack of sleep.

This episode is being posted on New Year's Eve, so it is only fitting to do an episode on resolutions.  Our goal is to help you rethink your resolutions and offer ideas for caregiver resolutions and changes that are helpful and realistic.

We often talk about someone with Alzheimer's living in the moment. This episode will explain what it means to live in the moment from the reality of the person with Alzheimer's and will also discuss how caregivers can also live in the moment to better engage and enjoy moments together.

Watching television has become an integral part of our lives, helping to fill many hours each week. For someone with alzheimer's, is watching television a good activity? This episode examines the challenges of watching television for individuals with Alzheimer's.

Whether you grew up listening to classical, country, jazz, gospel, or rock and roll, I am sure you have enjoyed listening to music. This episode will discuss the concept of music therapy and talk about the benefits of music for your loved one with Alzheimer's.

As Alzheimer's progresses, your loved one will experience cognitive loss, and you will see changes in their abilities and behaviors over time. This episode will discuss some of the unexpected and unpredictable behaviors and changes, and provide tips for dealing with these issues.

The holiday season can be overwhelming for individuals with Alzheimer's and very stressful for family caregivers. This episode will share suggestions and tips to make the holiday season safer and more enjoyable for both the individual with Alzheimer's and their family caregivers.

There is so much to learn about Alzheimer's that it can be overwhelming for caregivers. This episode will focus on questions related to the diagnosis and address other early concerns associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Caregivers often make big decisions together with their loved ones. As Alzheimer's progresses, these decisions become harder to make, raising the question of whether the loved one should continue to be involved. This episode will discuss various decisions caregivers have to make, and whether they should involve their loved one or even tell them at all.

Caregivers often find that hiring in-home services can be overwhelming and confusing. This episode will help you understand the different kinds of in-home services, what each provides, how to access them, and who pays for them.  

As a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's, it may be necessary to modify your expectations to avoid becoming upset, angry, or stressed. This episode will discuss some of the expectations caregivers have that can cause stress and tips to help you rethink your expectations.

At some point, most caregivers realize they may need additional help at home and decide to hire home care services. The challenge is that they know their loved ones may not agree. This episode discusses strategies to make it easier to hire in-home care and how to get your loved one to accept them.

One of the most important things a caregiver can do is to become educated on Alzheimer's and its effects. This episode will explore the learning curve of a caregiver and how to give yourself some slack when you're unsure about how to handle a situation.

One of the most difficult situations for a caregiver is when someone with Alzheimer's asks about a friend, parent, or loved one who has passed away years ago. This episode will provide suggestions on how to answer questions about someone who has passed away.

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's can be overwhelming and exhausting. This episode will look at situations that are not worth confronting and how you need to learn to let some things go.

As Alzheimer's progresses, your loved one will experience changes that will increase their risk for falls. This episode will explain how the changes due to Alzheimer's put your loved one at risk for falls, and what you can do to reduce the risk.

Laughter has many benefits and can be good for both the caregiver and the person with Alzheimer's. This episode explores enjoyable activities to do together and ways to incorporate humor and laughter into your day.

Timing is important when you are caring for a person with Alzheimer's. You will need to rethink and adjust your approach when you say things, schedule things, and do things. This episode gives examples of how timing affects your loved one and what you may need to change.

It is upsetting to see your loved one lose the ability to do common household things such as driving, cooking, cleaning, laundry, playing games, and other activities. This episode will focus on the importance of looking at what your loved one CAN do and how you can modify things to enable them to still participate in some daily activities.

Ensuring your loved one's safety, especially when it comes to food, is a topic that has been explored throughout many episodes of this podcast. This episode will focus specifically on food safety and provide suggestions for you if your loved one lives alone, with you, or in an assisted living facility.

Keeping your loved ones safe at home is one of the most important objectives for a caregiver. It is important to be aware of areas in your home that have potential safety concerns. This episode will discuss the safety risks in the bathroom and provide tips to make the bathroom safer for individuals with Alzheimer's.

Do you have 200 pins in your house that your loved one with Alzheimer's has collected? If so, you are not alone. It is common for a person with Alzheimer's to collect items, hoard them, or hide things. This episode will explore these behaviors and provide guidance on how to manage them.

It is common for a person with Alzheimer's to rummage through things or to look for things they can't find. This episode will discuss rummaging, what you can do to manage it, and how to best respond when they are rummaging or looking for things.

One of the most upsetting changes that a caregiver can see is when their loved one no longer shows they care or appreciates the caregiver. As Alzheimer's disease progresses, these important aspects of a relationship start to diminish. In this episode, we explain several reasons why your loved one doesn't show empathy or compassion.