Alzheimer's & Dementia Care

Dementia is more common in women due to risk factors like longer life expectancy, hormones, depressive conditions, and caregiving.

People’s personalities and preferences may change naturally with age, but changes in a senior’s sense of humor may be an early sign of dementia.

Rapidly progressive dementias develop quickly over days, weeks, or months, causing a sharp decline in memory, thinking, and behavior.

During middle-stage dementia, people may experience more memory loss and changes in behavior, meaning they need more assistance with activities of daily living.

In Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, clinging and following behavior is often referred to as “shadowing.” Learn how to prevent this exhausting symptom from interfering with your caregiving tasks and precious respite time.

Occasional incontinence events or “accidents” commonly progress into chronic incontinence issues during the middle to late stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Essential legal documents for estate planning and long-term care planning often need to be notarized to prove they’re valid. However, notarization can be tricky if a senior has Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.

Read experienced caregivers’ best suggestions for using medications to help minimize the anxiety, hallucinations, and aggressive behaviors caused by sundowning.

I had heard the benefits of personally meaningful music in dementia care. Last Saturday, I brought headphones and an iPod loaded with old music to the rest home for Mum. The results were astounding.

Both Mum’s memory and physical stamina seem to evade her these days. As a dementia caregiver, it’s my job to find something to help both her mood and mobility.

Alzheimer's and dementia often cause difficult behavioral changes that can easily become dangerous for both patients and their caregivers. Notifying the local police and EMS of your loved one's condition can help them better handle potential emergencies.

Dementia is often closely associated with embarrassment and humiliation. This could be shame or self-consciousness experienced by the patient or the people around them, but cultivating honesty and openness in this difficult situation can help immensely.

For individuals living with dementia, music has a powerful effect. Music has the incredible ability to transport us back in time, reduce stress, help us escape the present and make us more mindful of our emotions.

People with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia often experience difficulty recognizing faces and recalling names of their family, friends, and care team members. In some cases, all they need is a little help to mentally connect the dots.

It is well known that some friends and family may make themselves scarce following a serious diagnosis. Dementia is unique, though, in that families and individuals vehemently try to deny its existence. Sadly, brushing symptoms and explanations under the rug only undermines relationships and causes added uncertainty for those friends and family who wish to remain involved, but are unsure of how to proceed.

A dementia diagnosis in itself often catches patients and their families off guard. Unfortunately, the surprises only continue as a loved one's condition progresses, and it can take a lot of strength to accept that their future cannot be defined.

The AgingCare.com forum is filled with people coming together to share valuable information. We’ve compiled experienced caregivers’ best tips and suggestions for hobbies and activities for seniors with dementia.

Sometimes simple discussions about fears and hopes for the remainder of one’s life can prove to be far more healing than surgeries and medication.

The use of politically correct, inclusive and unbiased language is a growing trend in America. But what happens when we try to apply these constructs to terminology addressing Alzheimer's, other dementias and family caregiving?

Friends and family often try to help a person with dementia by suggesting new and alternative therapies they may benefit from. But is it truly worth using precious remaining time trying experimental solutions and chasing down "cures?"