Continuing my highlights of Alzheimer’s Care with Dignity by Frank Fuerst, in today’s post I list 6 caregiver products that Fuerst considers specifically helpful for people with dementia. You may be able to get them free or at a reduced cost. Ask your contacts such as members of your support group or see if it’s a Medicare-qualified item.

Consult his guide for a complete list, but the following are those that solved major physical and psychological challenges for him. Having gotten them sooner he feels would’ve prevented a good deal of stress.

1. Bathroom transfer bench
2. Geriatric chair
3. Plastic runner
4. Hand-held shower
5. Stair lift
6. Wheelchair

A bathroom transfer bench is one where two legs remain inside of the tub with suction cups and two legs are outside of the tub.  It comes with a backrest. Since the person remains seated while bathing, a hand-held shower works well. (Hand-held showers work well for cleaning the tub as well).

A geriatric chair is like a wheelchair except that it is larger and more comfortable. Get one with a tray that can swing down and out of the way.

Plastic runners will help to keep your carpet in good condition in case of accidents. They have spikes on the bottom to hold it in place. Not all plastic runners are alike even though they may look alike. Since you need to walk on the runner, a softer plastic might be more  comfortable than a stiffer one. Use them in areas where there are likely to be accidents such as from the bed to the bathroom and in eating areas.

Stair lifts are expensive, but might still be a less costly alternative to other home alterations. Fuerst suggests that you check the Internet. One source is http://silvercross.com for more information. They also sell used equipment and will buy back equipment, but don’t expect to recover much of your purchase price.

Finally, wheelchairs are available everywhere, but if you’ve never ridden in one, they are not exactly comfortable. Be sure to add a cushion, preferably a high quality gel cushion as mentioned in this post.

In my previous post, I wrote about focusing on the caregiver. If you’re not physically and mentally healthy, finding the strength to take care of an Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patient is a monumental challenge. Even if you are in the best of health, I know it’s still difficult, but at least you’re healthy and can think more clearly. Recently, the Alzheimer’s Association in my area sent me a request to renew my 2010 Champion membership — i.e., please send more money.  Attached to this request was a list — 10 Symptoms of Caregiver Stress. I was happy to see the focus on the caregiver. Here are the symptoms of caregiver stress.

1. DENIAL about the disease and its effects on the person who has been diagnosed. “I know Mom’s going to get better.”
2. ANGER at the person with Alzheimer’s or others that no effective treatments or cures currently exist and that people don’t understand what’s going on. “If he asks me that question one more time, I’ll scream.”
3. SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL from friends and activities that once brought pleasure. “I don’t care about getting together with the neighbors anymore.”
4. ANXIETY about facing another day and what the future holds. “What happens when he needs more care than I can provide?”
5. DEPRESSION begins to affect the ability to cope. “I don’t care anymore.”
6. EXHAUSTION makes it nearly impossible to complete necessary daily tasks. “I’m too tired for this.”
7. SLEEPLESSNESS caused by a never-ending list of concerns. “What if she wanders out of the house or falls and hurts herself?”
8. IRRITABILITY leads to moodiness and triggers negative responses and reactions. “Leave me alone!”
9. LACK OF CONCENTRATION makes it difficult to perform familiar tasks. “I was so busy, I forgot we had an appointment.”
10. HEALTH PROBLEMS begin to take their toll, both mentally and physically. “I can’t remember the last time I felt good.”

The Alzheimer’s Association offers a brochure that tells you how to manage caregiver stress and how to be a healthy caregiver. Click here to obtain the brochure. The Alzheimer’s Association has a toll-free number should you wish to speak with someone. 1.800.272.3900. I wish you the best. Please take care.

Ronald P. Culberson

Last week I attended the 23rd Annual Caregiver Conference, Shedding Light on Dementia Care. Ronald P. Culberson, author of Is Your Glass Laugh Full? opened the session. His speech titled, “”Humor and Caregiving: How to Lighten Up When Things Get Heavy,” was well received by the audience of about 200. On a dreary, wet day in Fairfax, VA, what better way to open a conference than a speaker talking about why humor.

In stressing why humor, Culberson said humor is a way to do two things:

1. Manage stress
2. Connect with others

As a way to manage stress, he said if you can laugh in the midst of stress, it cannot overwhelm you. He emphasized that you have to see humor all the time, otherwise you won’t be able to deal with it when you’re stressed. Humor is always there if you’re always on the lookout for it. In our world, however, Culberson said sometimes we seem to love to “out negative” each other.

Second, humor can help us connect with other people. We tend to like people with a sense of humor. When you share humor, funny things happen; it changes the relationship. Hence, humor should be used as a tool.

I bought a copy of Culberson’s book, Is Your Glass Laugh Full? at the conference. Somewhat autobiographical in nature, he shares incidents in his life and presents them in a delightful, humorous fashion. It’s a book that’s difficult to stop reading. Being a primary caretaker is not easy and extremely stressful. I highly recommend this book to remove some of the stress.

If there was a simple recipe for care-taking, life would be a lot easier. But every case is different. For example, I met someone at the conference whose husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He will not cooperate and listen to anyone and hence, she’s unable to bring in outside help. He sleeps during the day and is up all night. This conference was a good chance for her and others to get away for the day and get some ideas from the wonderful attendees, speakers, and vendors.

Sponsored by The Northern Virginia Dementia Care Consortium, I was not aware of it previously (probably because my attention was not focused on Alzheimer’s), but I’m definitely looking forward to it next year.

One of the grestest lessons I’ve learned about humor is that it is all around us, in every corner of our lives. If we keep our humor antennae up and look for laughs we’ll find reasons to smile every day. ~Ron Culberson in Is Your Glass Laugh Full?