The Alzheimer's Caregiver Podcast

Sometimes, it is necessary to move your parent with Alzheimer's into your home because it is no longer safe to live alone. In this episode, we examine how to make the decision and what to do in advance of moving your loved one into your home.

As a caregiver, your goal is to manage their health and safety, and maximize their quality of life. But when pain enters the equation, it can make these goals difficult to achieve. In this episode, we look at pain - recognizing, managing, and the side effects of pain.

Because someone with Alzheimer's has diminished short-term memory, they often live in the moment. They don't remember what they did earlier in the day, and they don't know anything about tomorrow. They only know what is happening right now. In this episode, we look at ways to best navigate issues that arise with living in the moment.

As Alzheimer's progresses, your loved one may say things that aren't true or accurate. They may make things up, say something totally out of context, or say something quite surprising. In this episode, we look at ways to best respond to these issues and avoid increasing agitation with your loved one.

Has your loved one with Alzheimer's ever accused you of stealing their things? What do you do? How do you respond? In this episode, we explore why this happens and how to best respond to the accusations to avoid increasing agitations and conflicts.

Dementia vs Alzheimer's - what is the difference? Often, caregivers say their loved one has dementia without knowing what TYPE of dementia they have. Without knowing, confusion may occur in determining how to best manage the disease and help the loved one maintain a quality of life.

One challenge caregivers face is determining whether or not their loved one with Alzheimer's is able to live alone. In this episode, we look at general safety, food safety, driving, financial issues, health, and medical concerns to consider in making this determination.

Do you find yourself in situations that are upsetting because of what your loved one says to you? Do you find conversations sometimes hurtful? In this episode, we examine some triggers and behaviors that may cause these moments and give you some insight and suggestions for how to deal with them.

This episode explains the difference between palliative care and hospice and highlights the benefits to help people fully live a quality of life for as long as they can. We will explain the benefits, dispel misconceptions, and give you the information you need to take advantage of this specialized care for your loved one.

There are many decisions you need to make once you receive the diagnosis that your loved one has Alzheimer's. One of the most important is determining who you should tell, when to tell, and what exactly to tell people.

Traveling with your loved one can be challenging, upsetting, rewarding, stressful, or fulfilling. Advanced planning, flexibility and realistic expectations are key to making your trip more enjoyable for both you and your loved one with Alzheimer's.

One of the most important aspects of caring for someone with Alzheimer's is learning to effectively communicate with them. As their memory declines, you will need to change how you talk to them, and how you respond to some of the things they say and do.

As Alzheimer's progresses, your loved one may experience different types of behaviors that are more challenging for you as a caregiver. In this episode, we look at delusions - what they are, how to respond, and ways to minimize them.

Everyone with Alzheimer's experiences their environment differently. So it is important for the safety and well-being of your loved one that you be aware of how the home environment affects your loved one, how they perceive things around them, and what changes need to be made.

Caregivers often wonder if they are at risk for getting Alzheimer's. Is it hereditary? Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do that will definitely prevent Alzheimer's. But there are many things you CAN do to reduce your risk for getting Alzheimer's.

Should you leave your loved one with Alzheimer's home alone? This is an important question since the safety of your loved one is a major concern. In this episode, we will examine some important questions to ask yourself to help you decide when it is no longer safe to leave them alone.

How do you best communicate with someone who has Alzheimer's? In this episode, we will discuss ways to adjust how you talk to individuals in order to meet their diminished abilities to comprehend what you are saying to them.

Caregiving goals and forming a goal plan can be instrumental in helping caregivers successfully manage the enormous task of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. In this episode, we look at the areas of caregiving where a goal plan can be helpful.

Being proactive is the ability to foresee or anticipate issues and plan in advance to prevent them. As a caregiver, the more proactive you can be, the better you are able to meet the challenges of caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer's.

Caregivers often say they feel alone in their journey. Connecting with other caregivers to learn and share is helpful in both educating yourself and as a source of support and information to help you in your caregiving journey.

When should you have legal documents in place? What are the risks of waiting and not taking action? Attorney Michelangelo Mortellaro discusses the hard truths of inaction, and the importance of having the proper documents in place to assure continued care for your loved one.

Family caregivers often feel challenged with keeping their loved one with Alzheimer's busy and occupied in the home. In this episode, we give you some practical information, tips, and activities to keep your loved one engaged and active at home.

In the second part of this series on incontinence, we take a closer look at ways caregivers can manage a loved one with incontinence and cope with this aspect of caregiving.

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's can be very challenging. Add incontinence and caregiving can become overwhelming to manage. In the first part of this series, we discuss ways to manage incontinence and provide tips and suggestions for caregivers.

Caring for a loved one is often stressful and exhausting for family members. An excellent resource is adult daycare centers which are available in many communities and can benefit both the loved one and the family caregiver.