Alzheimer’s Disease

Our goal is to keep our clients healthy. Caring for patient with Alzheimer’s: MUSIC IS MAGIC!

• Therapeutic
• Facilitates choice making
• Avoid crisis when used strategically
• Must be appropriate to the individual, not to you.

Patients Compassion

We help to assist clients washing face and hands, making beds ,sweeping and cleaning, this task can be done frequently and can be done useful to interrupt periods of anxiety and to redirect. Participation merits rewards and applause.

Maintain orientation to time/place/person

Use photo albums and videos; reminiscence therapy; picture box; photo wall plaques outside one’s bedroom door. Maintain sensory processing of colors (same, different or matching), smells/fragrances; textures. Maintain level of activity – singing and dancing, sitting exercises, walking to the mail box or on the jogging course, clapping in time to music and moving in rhythm; bringing dishes to sink, sweeping, dusting, cleaning. Use preventive adaptive devices like alarms to avoid having to confront unsafe wandering.

Basic Considerations:

• Is the area well lit. A darkened area or shadowed area can be scary to someone with Alzheimer’s and may be the reason they are resistant to move In that direction.
• Avoid black or dark blue or green as a backdrop. These colors appear as holes that someone will drop into to a person with Alzheimer’s, Adding a white or yellow blanket to a black car seat can be much more inviting and manageable.
• Limit clutter. Place only necessary items in visual field. This will help to direct focus and avoid confusion.
• Routine is best. Offer similar routine with little variation. Use the senses to precue… same music, same shampoo for smell etc. Limit choices

Dining:

• Importance of retaining skill. Research shows that self feeders are safer than those who are fed
  Need to limit clutter, place only necessary items on table
• Color contrast importance
• May need to initiate with hand over hand and then encourage self feed. HOH can serve as a pre-cue.
• Need for maintaining routine. Smells of cooking food can serve as a precue.
• Modification of texture and equipment may be necessary to keep dining safe.
• Safety… make sure the person Is alert and awake
• Lighting is key provide ample lighting and avoid black or dark backgrounds.

Transfers and Transitions:

• Pre-cue to activities such as giving a direction of movement… “Let’s get your coat” with coat at arm’s reach, or using a cup to head toward the kitchen. Limit conversation and provide a simple invite and object precue. Holding out a sweater in preparation for someone to put it on can help to cue to the task.
• Feet on the floor will help with rising to stand or transfers. The cue of feet on the floor is a natural for standing.