How to Interact with Someone With Alzheimer’s
: New York Times
“I
don’t think anyone’s ever won an argument with a person with
Alzheimer’s,” says Ruth Drew, who worked as a counselor in a hospital’s
geriatric psychiatric ward before becoming a director with the
Alzheimer’s Association, where she oversees the 24-hour 1-800 help line. Her grandfather was afflicted with the degenerative brain disease.
He
would often get up before 2 a.m., sure it was morning.
No amount of showing him the clock or pointing to the darkness outside could persuade him otherwise.
“Everything you know about persuasion and logic you have to put on the shelf,” she says.
No amount of showing him the clock or pointing to the darkness outside could persuade him otherwise.
“Everything you know about persuasion and logic you have to put on the shelf,” she says.
Be patient, calm and kind.
You cannot predict how the plaques and tangles in an Alzheimer’s patient’s brain will change him or her:
A taciturn mother becomes chatty,
A father forgets his daughter,
A prim grandmother takes up obscenities.
One person, who has midstage Alzheimer’s, can entertain party goers with jokes but can’t remember how to get home.
Some people die within a year of diagnosis, and others live with the disease for decades.
Approach someone with Alzheimer’s from the front.
If
the person doesn’t recognize you, say your name.
Position yourself at
eye level and connect with the person as he
or she is, right now, before
you.
“Treat them with the respect that a lifetime of experience on
this earth deserves,”
The disease slows the brain.
Speak clearly.
Use words sparingly.
Gesture more.
If you want to offer coffee,
instead of blathering, place two cups of coffee on the table and
beckon toward the empty chair.
“Coffee?”
As language comprehension begins to fail, you’ll need to become something of a detective, looking for other cues like
facial expressions,
grunts and
sighs
==> that hint at needs or states of mind.
Some 5.8 million Americans currently live with Alzheimer’s, a figure projected to more than double by 2050.
The global number of individuals who lived with dementia
In 2016, was
43·8 million
In 1990, was 20.2 million
This increase of 117%
contrasted with a minor increase in age-standardised prevalence of 1·7% , from
701 cases per 100 000 population in
1990 to
712 cases per 100 000 population in 2016.
More women
than men had dementia in 2016 (27·0 million, vs 16.8 million)
Fifth leading cause of
death globally, accounting for 2·4 million deaths.
Overall, 28·8 million DALYs were attributed to
dementia;
Daly = Disability-Adjusted Life Year
GBD = Global Burden of Disease
6·4 million of these could be attributed to
the modifiable GBD risk factors of
High BMI,
High fasting plasma
glucose,
Smoking,
High intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Even when they no longer speak or recognize family members,
they still need human connection.
One
person likes to encourage the families she works with to think about
how to show that bond in ways that don’t rely so heavily on language.
Hold their hand.
Play their favorite song.
Take them outside to feel the wind on their face.
Sing to them.
One person does very well as she combs her mother’s hair for her.
“It’s something they both enjoy,” she says.
“They don’t need words.”
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