When I asked for stories about Alzheimer’s patients and their pets, I never expected anything this sad. A reader asked that I share a story about her grandmother with Alzheimer’s who went on a 2 week cruise with family members. They didn’t think to question her about boarding arrangements for her dog. She forgot she had a pet and didn’t take it to a kennel or hire a petsitter. She came home to find her devoted dog was dead.
Please don’t assume that your loved one will remember something as obvious as making sure someone is there to care for pets, stopping mail delivery, locking the front door, etc. before a long vacation. Go through his or her home with the patient to make sure everything is in order before the vacation begins.
If you have a family member with Alzheimer’s who is still living alone and has a pet, there are a few things you should consider. First, you’ll need to be sure that he or she is remembering to care for the pet. If not, you will need to intercede and hire someone to help give the pet food, water and exercise. Pet care doesn’t have to break the bank. While a professional pet sitter or errand service would be the ideal option, a neighborhood teen or stay at home mom may be willing to stop by once a day to care for the pet for a reasonable fee.
For a dog, a pet door is a great option if it is at all possible. If not, you may need to hire a dogwalker to be sure the pet is getting enough exercise and to avoid accidents in the house.
Finally, you should talk to the Alzheimer’s patient about contacting the pet’s veterinarian to explain that you are authorized to get medical information and to request treatment for the pet. Otherwise, the vet may refuse to release records to you or may not agree to treat the pet in an emergency situation without the owner’s consent. The vet will probably require something in writing stating that you have permission to care for the pet and access records.
We have a new addition. She’s sweet and loving and spent the last few weeks living alone in her former owner’s house after the owner’s daughter had to move her into a spare bedroom. The daughter didn’t have room for poor Casey and left her behind. She was let out once a day for a few minutes, but she was very upset and anxious to go from having a constant companion to noone at all.
When the daughter mentioned that Casey was on her way to the SPCA, I brought her home. It made me think - what do we need to do about pets of people with Alzheimer’s? What benefits do they offer? What are the drawbacks? Over the next few weeks, I’ll be talking about pets and Alzheimer’s patients. If you have a story or tip, please share it with us.
I don’t know about you, but the thought of finding an Alzheimer’s patient at the bottom of the basement stairs really worried us. Then, I saw the perfect solution in a friend’s house. She used a childproof doorknob cover on her utility room door, her bathroom doors and her basement door. The children couldn’t open the doors and get into dangerous situations. We tested one of the covers on our basement door and it worked. William was frustrated that he couldn’t get the door open, but safe.
* I do not recommend using a childproof doorknob cover on your front door. If there’s a fire or other emergency, people need to get our fast.
If the Alzheimer’s patient you are caring for uses an electronic blanket, you may want to think about replacing it with a normal blanket. A UK newspaper, The Mercury, reported:
A PENSIONER with Alzheimer’s disease suffered serious burns after leaving her electric blanket on throughout the night, an inquest heard.
Instead of an electric blanket or electric heating pad, consider using a hot water bottle. This way, there is no way for Alzheimer’s patients to change settings or turn a warming device on and burn themselves.
Welcome to the 61st edition of the Carnival of Healing. I’m so excited to be hosting this celebration of health at Life Without Memories. Take some time to wander through our fairways and peer into the tents - this carnival is completely free.
Since this is a blog about Alzheimer’s and dementia, I thought you’d like to start with posts relating to these diseases. We’ll begin with Mary Emma Allen, who presents Alzheimer’s & the Shrinking Brain Observed, which is posted at Alzheimer’s Notes.
Next, Kenton Whitman presents a very different viewpoint of Alzheimer’s disease - kentonwhitman.com Zen-Inspired Self Development posted at A New Perspective on Alzheimer’s.
Now, let’s travel on to other health related issues. We’ll begin with RDoctor’s guide to Hip Fractures, which is written by Dr. Kavokin. Get a basic overview of this common problem for the elderly and take some quizzes about hip fractures.
Dr Kavokin also presents Nursing Professor. Kim McAllister, posted at RDoctor Medical Portal. Take a look at this interview with real life ER nurse.
Vreni Gurd presents Eat - Food, our raw material posted at wellness tips. The food we eat today turns into our cells tomorrow. Do you want your heart muscle to be made out of those cheese puffs you ate today? Eat quality food.
(I must say that the cotton candy and funnel cake vendors no longer looks quite so tempting. Apple, anyone?)
Now, let’s take a moment to look at some more relaxing and uplifting posts. After all, this is a carnival!
Surfer Sam’s Magazine offers a fantastic post called Step by Step Meditation. You can discover what meditation is and why it can be a good idea. For a caregiver, some serious stress busting can always be helpful.
For a look at how a finch trapped in the house helped a man discover he needed to learn about trusting God instead of spending his time struggling, take a look at this inspirational post at Evolving Times - Surrendering to Freedom: Stepping into Grace.
Edward Mills also presents When You Hear A Hawk Step Back For A Different Perspective posted at Evolving Times.
Mental Health Source Page presents My Two Selves posted at Jane Chin PhD. Just in case you’re tempted to rush past her blog, let me give you a glimpse inside:
A Strong Woman knows She is Beautiful and Makes No Excuses for it. She works hard at being beautiful inside and out.
If you haven’t taken a moment to count your blessings this week, you may want to take a close look at the next carnival booth. Patricia presents How To Develop An Attitude Of Gratitude posted at A Better You Blog.
For a look at what happens when one woman inspires thousands to work for a change, you won’t want to miss this next post. Bobbarama presents an in depth look at the Susan J. Korman walk for a cure for breast cancer. Zero to 60 in three days posted at bobbarama.com.
Thanks to Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul for hosting last week’s edition, the Carnival of Healing #60. Don’t forget to visit next week’s carnival at Wisdom of Healing.
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This concludes another edition of the Carnival Healing. If you’re feeling reluctant to leave, why not join us by adding your comments and thoughts about the different contributor posts? Has one of them helped or inspired you in some way? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you need more information on Alzheimer’s disease try our medical search engine for all you health info.
I am excited to report that I will be hosting the next Carnival of Healing on November 25th. If you blog about a health related topic, please join us by submitting your entry here. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the wonderful entries. Anything dealing with healing, healthy living, self empowerment, and spirituality is welcome, but since it is close to Thanksgiving, I’d be delighted to see posts on giving, thankfulness, etc.
So, you’re going to hire someone to help take care of an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient. But what do you pay and do you have to give benefits? What about Social Security?
Most people hire caregiver helpers as contractors. This means the other person is not actually an employee and is responsible for taxes, Social Security, etc. You would need to send a 1099-MISC at the end of the year for tax purposes. You should check with a lawyer and your accountant to be sure this is the best alternative for you and to find out what you need to do to avoid having the IRS consider this person to be an employee.
(An easier alternative is to go through an agency, which deals with all of the paperwork. You pay the agency and the agency pays the employee.)
Now, on to how much you should pay. Expect to see fees anywhere from $8 and $15 an hour for someone to care for basic needs, such as feeding, bathing and diapering. If you need someone with a medical background, fees will be higher.
Before you agree to a salary, find out if your new helper expects to be paid for days he or she isn’t needed because of a hospital stay or holiday. Also, you should discuss transportation - whose car is the patient going to be transported to routine medical appointments in? Are you going to pay mileage if it is the helper’s car? Getting these issues taken care of now helps keep your new helper and you happy.
When you are planning Thanksgiving crafts for Alzheimer’s patients, you will have to remember a few important guidelines. First, never choose a craft that has more than a few steps. Second, look for materials that are easy to use.
With that in mind, one popular Thanksgiving craft for Alzheimer’s patients is simply painting wooden shapes. Pumpkins, turkeys and cornucopias are all readily available at most craft stores. Use acrylic craft paints for easy clean up.
Another great craft idea is to create a collage. Magazines are filled with bright images that can be torn into interesting shapes. Write “Giving Thanks” or “Thanksgiving” in big letters on a piece of posterboard. The Alzheimer’s patient can cover the letters with the paper shapes to make a colorful word collage.
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving craft idea to share? Please post your idea as a comment.
It can be a challenge to include Alzheimer’s patients in the holiday festivities. However, there are some simple, fun holiday activities that everybody can enjoy. A few of our favorites:
Memory - create your own memory card set. Using pairs of photographs or holiday images can make it fun for everyone. If you find that playing memory in the traditional way is to difficult, flip the cards over so they are all face up and let the Alzheimer’s patient simply match the pairs up.
Salt and Pepper - this game involves creating a list of familiar things that belong together. You can have various difficulty levels for different people. For example, Fred and Ginger or hot and cold. You say the first half of the pair and players have to come up with the other half.
Bingo - make your own cards using familiar images, such as cars and dogs. Use a simple grid with large squares so the game isn’t overwhelming.
Any favorites in your family?
