(Part 3) Top products from r/Alzheimers

This is difficult. One of the first thing this disease takes is the ability to understand your own limitations. My partner hasn't been able to do much of anything on his own in a few years, but still believes he needs no help. Some days he is sure he is not very effected by Alzheimer's at all. As Alzheimer's effects the ability to make new memories they forget all of the mistakes and dangerous situations and remember the lifetime of being self sufficient.

Others may have different advice, but here is mine. You can not get him to comprehend the level of care he needs. Move forward by providing it in any way that he will accept. When I'm not caring for my partner we have a hired caregiver. She pretends to be the "housekeeper". My partner accepts this, though logically it makes no sense as she hardly leaves the room and assists him with showers and other bathroom needs. It gives him a bit of pride and makes him comfortable.


The companion may have to be crafty to make your father comfortable. When he wants to walk alone they can say they are going to check the mail, get something from their car, have a cigarette etc and will walk out with him. There is a good chance that once they walk out of the house they can distract him by asking questions and he won't realize they are walking together when he wanted to walk alone.


Trackers can be helpful, maybe someone can chime in with more experience with them. They seem to need to be charged regularly so I haven't used one.


A home alert system might be a good idea. We use this one that is not a monitored one. It calls 4 programmed numbers and is basically a one button cordless phone using a home phone line. You can program it to call 911 if none of the 4 calls are answered. We switched to this from a monitored one as my partner had some false alarms resulting in paramedics showing up. Now he uses it for everything, he needs a drink, time for the bathroom, wants to get out of bed etc. this may give your mother a bit of piece of mind while working. You can set it to call the companion and then your mother if there is no answer.


In a separate but equally important issue it seems as though your mother may be at a breaking point. It is hard to separate the person you loved and cared for over the years with the person afflicted with Alzheimer's. Add the stress of being a caregiver and attempting to work at the same time and it's not hard to find your breaking point. To be a good and caring caregiver she needs the ability to spend time on her own. This is almost impossible while working and caregiving without help from friends, family and hired help. Offer your help when you can and insist your mother spend that time doing something for herself. It will be hard for her at first, but she will become comfortable soon. An afternoon or evening a week would allow her to run personal errands, take herself out for a meal, have her haircut etc. I try to take one vacation a year. It's hard to plan, and expensive to provide care while I'm away, but I come back patient and caring instead of stressed and frustrated. Keep in mind that when someone has dementia that all of their needs become immediate. They can't plan ahead. This means the family member attempts to plan ahead for themselves and the person they care for. This ends up with the family member dropping their own needs either on purpose or by forgetting. After all what is that errand compared to what someone with Alzheimer's needs? At one point I realized I hadn't been to my doctor in over a year. I didn't realize this on my own, but when the office firmly told me that it had been over a year and for prescriptions to be safely refilled again, I needed to visit the physician. I had no clue it had been so long. During that same time I alienated friends, hadn't spent much time or money on myself in any way as it always seemed both of those were needed urgently to caregive. I needed to create boundaries and it took a near breakdown to bring it to my attention.

I'm sorry you and your family are going through this. It is a terrible disease. There is no right or wrong way to deal with it, you must find a way that works for you.

no but there's a huge article about coconut oil and alzheimers on the internet, i'm sure there's plenty more now. the MCT oils in coconut oil fuel the brain very well.

You can actually buy pure MCT oil on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-100%25-32-Fluid-Ounces/dp/B0019LRY8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426579004&sr=8-1&keywords=mct+oil

If you want to even get something better look into "bulletproof" brand... they actually have a plethora of health products, anyway they have something called 'octane oil' it's basically 18x Stronger Than Coconut Oil. https://www.upgradedself.com/products/bulletproof-upgraded-brain-octane-oil

Anyway just thoguht I'd show you some alternatives to just coconut oil.

Not sure what kind of things you design or whether you could work with a product designer, but there are ways to design everyday household items that make them easier for dementia patients to use. Here's an example of a simplified TV remote. One item my husband loved was his dementia clock since he was always losing track of what day or even what year it was. Maybe you could design some computer games that could keep a dementia patient entertained without being frustrating or demeaning (like without cartoon-ish graphics).

Theres inexpensive door chimes that go off when door is opened.

GE Personal Security Window/Door Alarm, 2-Pack, DIY Home Protection, Burglar Alert, Wireless Alarm, Off/Chime/Alarm, Easy Installation, Ideal for Home, Garage, Apartment, Dorm, RV and Office, 45115 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00178HMCI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_M8jsDbQ5ZP65J

https://www.alzstore.com/door-chime-alarm-add-on-p/0068.htm

I used to use simple stuff like this for when i had to travel with Alzheimer's parent bc you can like tape it to the hotel door and such. It wont keep them in though but it could wake you.

Some fancier for Alzheimer's:

https://www.alzstore.com/door-alarm-sensor-kit-p/0070.htm

Theres mats for beds and floors that detect when someone is out of bed or on the floor next to bed.

NYOrtho Bedside Floor Mats for Elderly Fallshield - Handicap Non-Slip Beveled Edge Fall Protection https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CFY4G48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gbksDbA22JA4G

Smart Caregiver Wireless and Cordless Weight Sensing Bed Pad - 10" x 30" (Monitor or Alarm Included). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043RFKME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sdksDb14D24AM

I havent tried these though. I heard if you get a junk one though and your person is very light they might not set off the alarm..?

If you are only relying on alarms youll get this paranoid pavlovian response of "what was that? Was that the alarm? I better check!"

You could try locking them in tho it might cause a horrible reaction (frantic panic and wanting to escape type of thing). If you try this try for a cheap test first. :p. My dad would have busted the door down.

But ill be honest, the best thing we ever did to control wandering was to put up a perimeter chainlink fence, so even if they make it out, you know they are not getting far. We had a child safety rail on the bed to discourage attempts, a door chime, and a chainlink fence.

My mom didn't want to lock the door because sometimes she wanted to leave it open when it was hot, and she wanted to hear them and be able to rush in quickly in case they were in distress or fell. We tried id bracelet but dad kept taking it off