Memory Care Resources

Explore insightful articles, expert advice, and practical tips to support your loved one’s transition to memory care. From navigating challenging conversations to understanding the benefits of personalized care, our Memory Care Resources category provides the guidance and knowledge families need to make informed decisions and ensure their loved ones thrive in a supportive environment.

Dementia Caregiver Dilemma – Answering the Same Question

For many caregivers, one of the most challenging aspects of dementia is handling repetitive questioning. You may notice that a loved one asks the same question multiple times in a short period, unaware that they have already received an answer. This behavior is frustrating for caregivers but is often distressing for the individual with dementia as well. Short-term memory loss is one of the earliest and most noticeable symptoms of dementia. A person may ask where their spouse is, how old their grandchildren are, or what day it is – all within the span of a few minutes. While these questions seem simple, they reflect the emotional needs of the person asking. Rather than focusing on the repetition itself, it’s essential to understand why the question is being asked.
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Children Remember, Alzheimer’s Patients Don’t

Remember that Alzheimer's patients aren't children You finally made the decision to entrust Mom to assisted living. You know she’s being cared for with respect and dignity. She’s made friends with the lady in the next room. She seems to be eating well. So why does your stomach do a free-fall each time you drive over to visit her? Is it because you’re not sure what Mom will be like or how she will receive you? Watching a parent disappear into the muddle of age-related dementia or Alzheimer’s disease is not a charted course, nor is it a smooth one. Don’t Be the Teacher Do you find that one of the hardest parts of dealing with your parent’s aging is the reversal of roles? All of a sudden you’ve become Mom’s mom. You’re in charge. You have to come up with the answers. Or do you? You try to give her the tips and tools that worked so well with your kids, but in the end, your efforts end up frustrating and angering her. For example, she’s told you how frustrated she feels about not knowing what month it is, let alone what day. When your son was in kindergarten, he always wanted to know this information so he could report it at opening ceremony in school each morning. You bought him one of those A-Day-At-A-Time calendars, a Charlie Brown one. He’d faithfully tear off a cartoon each morning and be ready for the day. So you buy one for Mom: A Joke-a-Day. That will get her day off to a good start. But each time you visit, the pages remain un-torn. You tear them off and remind her how this will help her. Sometimes she seems to ignore you. And other times she rages out. “I”m sorry! I forgot! What’s the difference, anyway?!” Be Subtle The difference you need to remember is that what works with children will not work with an Alzheimer’s patient. Children’s brains are developing, displaying a sponge-like ability to absorb and imitate. They want to remember so they’ll do it right next time. So does Mom. But the plaque that is part of the Alzheimer’s puzzle has literally clogged her brain. She may be able to retain your tip for a day, an hour, maybe only a minute. Lessons won’t work. Don’t be a nag. Why not begin each visit with “Wow, what a stormy Tuesday this turned out to be!” or “Can you believe how April is just flying by?” This is a subtle way to clue her in to where we are on the calendar. Easy Does It Are you concerned that she seems to be spending more time in the past than the present? Remember when you chastised your kids for fantasizing or daydreaming? That’s not what Mom is doing if she thinks she’s back in her childhood days. Her short term memory is gone, but long-ago remembrances remain. For her, the past is more tangible than yesterday. When it’s your turn to speak, try to gently bring her into the present with tidbits of what’s going on in your life. Stay on the easy does it road and bring her into the present. Yanking is never a good idea Look for Options Remember how frustrated your daughter used to become, bursting into tears when she couldn’t zip her jacket? Well, that’s exactly how Dad feels now. Your daughter eventually learned, through necessity. But does Dad need a zippered jacket? Buttons do the same job. As you discovered with your children, some approaches work. Some don’t. If you’ve found one that does – great! If you haven’t, sometimes it’s best to follow the advice of The Beatles and… Let It Be.
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Activities to Do with a Loved One Who Has Dementia

With some creative thinking, you can come up with activities to do with a person who has dementia

Photo used under Creative Commons from Marg S.

It’s difficult to think of things to do with a parent or other loved one who has dementia. Your options may seem quite limited. However, it’s important to make the effort to find ways to spend quality time together: this will improve your loved one’s happiness and their health. Below are some tips to get you started: once you begin to think about it, you may realize that there’s more that you can do than you think. 1. Come up with activities that incorporate their interests. All of us thrive and are much happier when we’re doing things we enjoy. But what if your loved one is no longer capable of taking part in the activity in the same way they once did? The answer is to think of ways to modify their hobby. For example, if they once loved to read but their eyesight has deteriorated to the point where they can longer read even large-print books, you can get them audio books and a good set of headphones. If they once loved to play baseball, make sure they have a radio or TV that they can use to catch the game, or even take them to a day at the ballpark. 2. Don’t just try to pass the time. Ideally, the activity you do together will have a lot of meaning to both of you. Don’t plan to do something that neither of you would have enjoyed twenty years ago. Sometimes people rationalize not putting much thought into the time they spend with loved ones with dementia by telling themselves that the person won’t remember the activity anyway. It’s true, they may not remember, but they can enjoy the present when they’re in the moment. 3. Do something that involves social interaction. We all need to feel connected to others, even those of us with dementia. We make an effort to visit with a loved one in assisted living for this very reason. But try to add variety as much as you can. Consider taking your loved one with you on outings – even just a simple trip to the mall or to a park can be interesting and different for them. (Do try to avoid very hectic places, though, as that could make your loved one anxious.) Even if they’re not able to leave home, try to make sure they see new faces. Ask visiting relatives to come to their care home with you when they’re in town, or bring one of your loved one’s former neighbors by to say hello. 4. Do something that involves exercise. Does your loved one tend to wander, as many dementia patients do? The underlying cause of this behavior may be a lack of exercise. Try going for a walk with them around the neighborhood, or get them an exercise bike if they’re still limber enough to use it. This can be a solution for boredom and anxiety.
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The Stages of Dementia

If you have a loved one living with dementia, one of the most common questions is also the hardest one to answer. What should we expect next. Dementia does progress, but it does not progress like a clean staircase. People can look steady for a while, then change quickly after an illness, a fall, a medication reaction, or a major life stress. Others decline slowly over years. Sudden confusion or behavior shifts can also be delirium or another medical issue and should be evaluated promptly. This guide is built to be a comprehensive, practical “stages of dementia” resource. It explains the most common staging frameworks, what typically changes at each stage, what is a safety red flag, and when families in Southern California often consider more structured support.
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Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

Our LA home for the aging is skilled at helping loved ones aflicted by Alzhiemer'sAlzheimer’s disease develops gradually over the years, usually going unnoticed at first but eventually becoming impossible to ignore. What signs should families be alert to? The key is to look for major changes that interfere with everyday life. Some examples of actions that might be taken by a senior with Alzheimer’s include:
  • Forgetting things that are part of a well-established routine, and were once done without fail.
  • Repeating questions.
  • Arriving somewhere without any idea how they got there.
  • Losing their way on a familiar route they take every day.
  • Forgetting to turn the stove off.
  • Leaving doors open.
  • Forgetting to eat meals.
  • Unusually poor hygiene that the person is not aware of.
  • Placing objects in unusual places.
  • The inability to remember even basic words, or speaking in such a way that’s hard to follow.
  • Sudden mood swings for no particular reason, or becoming uncharacteristically suspicious or trusting.
  • Lack of awareness of strange behavior.
Such behavior is serious and not to be confused with typical signs of aging, such as momentarily forgetting a piece of information or a name. Even otherwise healthy seniors may take longer to remember things than they used to. We all misplace items or forget important things from time to time—this is normal. Alzheimer’s is marked by the extreme frequency of these sort of incidents. It’s important to compare a loved one’s current behavior to how they were in the past. If someone has been on the more careless side throughout their life, a few odd forgetful incidents is less of a concern than if someone who was always highly conscientious shows the same behavior. If you suspect a loved one has Alzheimer’s, have them evaluated by a competent specialist. The problem may turn out to be simple forgetfulness or even a lack of sleep, but get the input of an expert.  The earlier the diagnosis, the better position you’ll be in to take steps to prevent a situation where your loved one or someone else gets hurt. You’ll also have the opportunity to get finances in order, obtain power of attorney, and plan for the care of your loved one. It’s not easy to accept that a once vibrant and active person may have Alzheimer’s, but it happens to families every day. In fact, half of those over 85 have the disease. The progression of Alzheimer’s can be heartbreaking, but it is more manageable for seniors and their families with counseling and treatment.
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Making Memory Boxes for Seniors

For seniors experiencing memory loss due to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, memory boxes offer a unique way to help them reconnect with their past. These boxes, filled with personal items and sensory objects, can spark cherished memories and create meaningful interactions. Memory boxes go beyond words, using touch, sight, and even smell to unlock moments from long ago.
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Can Coconut Oil be the answer?

From CBN TV: Researchers say the ketones found in coconut oil have slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in some people and may actually prevent it. Click here to read the article and download information.   Transcript:
Can Coconut Oil Be the Answer?Lori Johnson: Steve Newports Alzheimer’s disease has slowed considerably. Some of his symptoms even reversed thanks to an unlikely treatment prescribed by his wife, Doctor Mary Newport a physician who runs a neonatology ward at a Tampa, Florida hospital. She became determined to help her husband after he failed the so called Alzheimer’s clock test.Doctor Mary Newport: He drew a few little circles and several numbers just in a very random pattern, didn’t really look anything like a clock and the Doctor pulled me aside and she said, “You know he’s actually on the verge of severe Alzheimer’s at this point, he’s beyond moderate”. So that was very, very devastating news. Lori Johnson: Doctor Newport began learning everything she could about her husbands disease. Doctor Mary Newport: It appears to be a type of diabetes of the brain. It’s a process that starts to happen at least 10 or 20 years before you start having symptoms and it’s very similar to type 1 or type 2 diabetes in that you develop a problem with insulin. Lori Johnson: In this case, insulin problems prevent brains cells from excepting glucose, their primary fuel. Without it the cells eventually die, but there is an alternative fuel, key tones which the cells easily except. Key tones are metabolized in the liver after you eat medium chain triglycerides, which are found in coconut oil. So Doctor Newport added coconut oil to Steve’s diet. Just two weeks later he took the clock test again and as you can see demonstrated stunning improvement. Doctor Mary Newport: I thought at the time was it just good luck? Was it a lot of prayer? Was it the coconut oil? And I thought well, we’re going to keep the coconut oil going. Lori Johnson: Then, 3 weeks later he took the clock test for a third time, and continued to get better and it wasn’t just intellectually, he also improved emotionally and physically. Doctor Mary Newport: He was not able to run, he was able to run again or he couldn’t read for about a year and a half but after somewhere around 2 or 3 months he was able to read. Instead of being very sluggish, not talking very much in the morning, he would come out with energy and talkative and joking and he could find his water and utensils. Lori Johnson: Doctor Newport documented Steve’s success in a book called, Alzheimer’s Disease: What if there was a Cure? She received this stake of thank you letters from other people who’s loved ones Alzheimer’s was helped after they followed Steve’s diet. While coconut oil is encouraging, there’s actually something much more powerful. A team of biochemists lead by Professor Kieran Clarke at England’s Oxford University have developed a key tone, Ester, that packs a punch ten times great than coconut oil. Kieran Clarke: It reaches quite considerably higher levels and you can get whatever levels you want depending on how much you drink. Lori Johnson: The problem is, they need millions of dollars to mass produce it. Kieran Clarke: Very expensive and so we can’t make very much of it ourselves and what we would like is funding so that we can actually scale up and make it but of course there is no real profit in manufacturing stuff like that. Lori Johnson: So until a high potency key tone, Ester, is available to the general public coconut oil is still a good key tone source. Just make sure it’s pure, non hydrogenated. Avoid any hydrogenated oil, which is the same thing as dangerous trans fat. Many people avoid coconut oil because they think it’s bad for them, but it’s actually very healthy. Dr. Beverly Teter is a researcher at the University of Maryland who specializes in dietary fats. She says years ago coconut oil was criticized for raising cholesterol, but scientists have since learned there are two kinds of cholesterol. Low density lipoprotein, the bad kind and High density lipoprotein which is very good for you and is the kind that coconut oil raises. Doctor Beverly Teter: So they put out the message that it increases the serum cholesterol but the truth of the matter was helping to profile of the serum cholesterol. That never has been corrected in the public press and I think that’s the reason people have the misconceptions about it. Lori Johnson: So, not only does coconut oil improve your cholesterol levels, Doctor Teter says the way it helps the brains of some Alzheimer’s patients can be extended to people with Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Epilepsy, Dementia, even Schizophrenia and Autism and one more thing, coconut oil is a natural antibiotic that also helps kill viruses like Human immunodeficiency virus and Herpes viruses. Doctor Beverly Teter: The coconut oil tends to keep the bacteria down so that if you’re assaulted with a virus, you’re immune system can concentrate on the virus. It doesn’t have to concentrate on 27 other bacteria that you may have been exposed to that day. Lori Johnson: So consider coconut oil to improve your over all health and perhaps even go so far as to stave off life threatening diseases. Lori Johnson, CBS News
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