ALZHEIMERS Things to Remember

1. Educate you and your family.

This is extremely important, there are so many differences between Alzheimer's and Dementia, educating yourself and your family means you can understand the different stages of the disease and what to expect. Make it your mission to educate yourself as much as possible only then will you be able to understand what this person is going through and the correct way to help them.

2. Don't EVER think they have no quality of life.

This is a HUGE thing for me. Everyone has their own opinions and that’s fair, however to say you don't think their life is worth living is simply horrible. That is not your decision to make yes, their quality of life may not be as good as it used to be but remember the phase “I am still me” they are still your loved one, and still add value to the lives of people around them daily.

3. Be patient, try not to lose your temper.

I know this can be extremely hard especially when the person won’t eat drink get dressed or do what you would like them too. However, as soon as you lose your temper it will only make the situation worse as the person will obviously become more resistant or get upset as they don't understand what they are doing wrong, be patient and try see things from their perspective.

4. Don’t EVER be ashamed of needing extra help or putting a loved one into a care home!

I know for many families this is a biggggg one, but I don't understand why it should be, I don’t think someone should ever feel guilty for needing extra help, there's a reason it exists! Alzheimer's patients can be hard to manage especially if they get their day and night mixed up making it extremely hard for someone to get their sleep at night then get up the next day to carry on with their daily tasks. Look into additional help even if it's only rest bite or if it's simply for finding out what's available if you ever needed it.

5.Fundraise if you can.

For years I wanted to fundraise and for years I also wanted to do a Skydive, so I thought why not combine them both? I raised over £800 for Alzheimer's Research UK and it was simple to set up follow the link here to find out more.
Fundraising not only raises awareness but, it also ensures that the money donated goes to research and someday hopefully into finding a cure - so just think your efforts will actually be part of finding that cure!

6.Try not to ask questions you know they won't know the answer too.

I know when you want to make conversation it can be hard not to start quizzing and asking things like "Do you know who I am? and "Do you know my name?" etc. There's no point, you know they don’t know so why even ask? A better way is to ask questions that they can try give a good response to such as "What do you think of the weather today?" or” How are you feeling today?" rather than an interrogation.

7. Come to terms with this is how it is, and it won’t get any better.

Now this may sound slightly harsh, but I think it needs to be. Alzheimer's is a horrible disease, there’s no point wrapping it up nicely - but as soon as you come to terms with that it means you can move on and lift that weight you've been carrying, take a step back and just realise you need to enjoy time you have left...

8. Cherish your time don't focus on the stress.

Stress has no benefits whatsoever, that’s definitely easier said than done... However, try every day to remember it. Stress only adds to the problems and won't solve the situation at all. I think it has a lot to do with what I said before, you NEED to be patient and understand it isn’t good for your health to put so much pressure on yourself.

I hope these things has helped with some situations someone may be going through, Check out my video below for the FULL VERSION.