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Senior Helpers is introducing Senior Gems, a guide that teaches caregivers and families how to care for their beloved seniors.
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More than five million Americans have been diagnosed with alzheimer's disease and this is the month in and tell you correct me if I'm wrong on this but this is a month -- -- November we.
We focus on this particular disease.
As we do that.
The national alzheimer's awareness month senior helpers is introducing senior did a step by step guide.
-- teach people.
How to deal with this in their family -- among their friends tell me tell you about senior helpers and what those challenges are that she felt like he needed.
To answer.
Yes good morning.
We see your helpers we'd provide in home care for elderly clients.
In over the years you know we've seen more for per -- -- progression of alzheimer's and dementia.
And the families really struggle to understand how to handle to care for loved ones.
And so we've teamed up with they well known expert -- snow on working with alzheimer's and dementia.
To develop our senior Jim's program -- senior Jim's program.
Actually helps educate families and caregivers.
When how to best work with somebody with alzheimer's or dementia.
So that they can live -- better or more for filled and independent lives.
Doctor apple -- know because I've been reading this morning some of your notes on this.
This is a particularly troubling disease because it affects the whole family would someone you love loses their memory it's like part of your past is gone.
Like if your mom or dad loses their memory you depend on them to kind of shore you up and and keep your identity intact.
You know we're all stories Paris and -- this is -- cruel illness because it'd deprives people of their life stories.
And thereby.
It fractures the life stories of others.
And so that's why I think -- hear from anybody any expert that you.
Were to ask that one of the things that's emotionally.
Very hard.
For these victims to bear.
Is that they feel that they can't quite get hold of the things at once informed them about serve the trajectory and their lives.
And giving them reminders of that.
You know whatever it might be -- -- storytelling can be extremely important scrapbooking.
Not taking it for granted.
That they -- call.
Exactly who they are are in the context of I think that can be tremendously important I will put in one plug for this.
Before you assume that any elderly person your family is struggling with dementia.
Treat him for depression because there's no way to know until you treat -- whether it's depression masquerading as dementia or dementia itself.
Wow okay a couple things I wanna read Tony before -- ask -- my next question all Summers is a brain disorder that is the sixth leading cause of death.
And the United States but yet it's that one of the top two most feared diseases people are just for five.
At getting this disease primarily because of what doctor agents that.
Well also Roberts is not considered a normal part of aging -- risk for seniors developing this devastating disease rises as they get older and here's an example of that.
The prevalence of alzheimer's doubles every five years starting at age 65.
What kind of challenges are you trying to -- out there what are you teaching people I know you kind of waited out with seniors.
Senior -- does but I -- to get specifically.
At at the trouble areas for people.
Yet at the travelers really are -- what we see is with the family so.
If your mom or dad is diagnosed with alzheimer's.
The families don't understand how to really.
Work with them especially as they progress through the various stages on that are -- that's common with alzheimer's so for example.
You know we've developed.
This our our -- which is really a Jim.
That's classified her -- at each stage of alzheimer's and what that does is it helps the families.
Understand how to -- work with mom or dad give in this staged at the rim.
And that can be everything from.
What you know what activities can they do can they you know need to scrapbooking.
And they go for a walk and they do those types of things.
-- -- I mean you're about the degeneration of the disease the -- with operate a scrapbooking early help.
We'll look at you know what he can because the bottom line is designed to hand coordination so there's the physical aspect of it -- -- a scrapbooking.
For many people -- -- group activity so there's a social function.
And then there's the reminder.
Look here's your life story in case you've forgotten that was the first how she ever bought.
People you know and this is the way in which the illness if there's any way in which it's forgiving and you know you have to stretch to find any.
But people will except in general oh yes right that's that's even if they don't quite remember OK I can now kind of incorporate this into my story.
I think it's reassuring to them psychologically.
To how.
Have that concrete bricks and mortar piece of Paper photograph right there it's right there in the scrapbooking go back -- and remind yourself.
You know it's it's interesting Tony I'm reading through my notes here again the program you said breaks down the stages of dementia and the six progressive steps.
It's something that the doctor usually gives the family I mean do you feel like maybe people just are getting the information they need.
Death -- -- I mean certainly the doctor talks of the family about.
About the stages.
But what we're seeing is the family just doesn't know they don't understand maybe what moderate to severe means.
So what we're trying to do is we're trying to give them a real kind of easy way to understand.
-- you know my mom is a sapphire with sapphire you know we have we list out the very specific other kind of yeah this the specific.
Things that mom or dad you know mayor or may not be able to do in and you know another example is maybe listen to music.
They may have progressed you know so for disease that's you know what they can relate to music in that group haves and reflect.
You know back when they were younger and so and then you can see them smile one and you can see them kind of react to that in naturally what we're trying to do -- trying to say okay family.
Here's kind of where the stage of bomber that is.
Here's how you can work with them here are some activities you can do with them and here's how you can improve not only their life but your -- because now you understand.
Where they are and how to work with them.
