Tips for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's

Great tips here for caregivers during National Family Caregivers Month and National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month:

This article from The Daily Herald was written by the Alzheimer's Association.

All the tips are helpful, but my favorite is "Make a standing appointment to give the caregiver a break." Some of you who know people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers will be able to stay with the care-ee to give the care-er a break. Don't worry about understanding which stage of Alzheimer's the care-ee is in. The care-er can easily brief you on what challenges you might face for an hour or two. For example: "You can expect him to ask you where I am about every ten minutes. Reassure him I'll be back soon. He likes to go out to the mailbox. He won't get lost, so don't worry. If he wants to walk around the block though, could you please go with him? If he wants to watch TV but can't remember the golf channel, it's 242." 

On the subject of standing appointments, I also suggest initiating social invitations to your caregiver friends. If your friend's care-ee is in a stage of Alzheimer's that requires supervision, you might have to figure out a way to find a sitter so that you and your friend can go to lunch or coffee. Trust me, your friend probably does not have the social energy to initiate toward you, but he or she would love your company. Even regular phone calls to chat would be so very welcome.