Living with Alzheimer’s as a Patient
You have received a scary diagnosis from your doctor. He said words like “mild-cognitive impairment”, “dementia”, or maybe even “Alzheimer’s Disease”. You and your family are fearful and wonder what this will mean for your future.
Although symptoms vary considerably from person to person, the first problem experienced by many people is forgetfulness, which worsens over time. As the disease progresses, other symptoms inevitably appear, including disorientation to date and place, difficulty with organizing and planning, trouble with expressing and comprehending language, getting lost in familiar places, and changes in behavior and personality.
What Do I Do Now??
Although symptoms vary considerably from person to person, the first problem experienced by many people is forgetfulness, which worsens over time. As the disease progresses, other symptoms inevitably appear, including disorientation to date and place, difficulty with organizing and planning, trouble with expressing and comprehending language, getting lost in familiar places, and changes in behavior and personality.
What Do I Do Now??
- Take a slow, deep breath. If it will comfort you, say a prayer and have a good cry. Hug your loved ones.
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Learn what you can now. There are several resources available:
- See our “Facts about Alzheimer’s/Dementia”
- Review the “By Us For Us Guides” below. These guides are created by persons with dementia.
- Find a patient support group. Some of our caregiver support groups also include support groups for persons with Alzheimer’s. You can spend time with others – it is a safe place to share, laugh, and learn.
- Consider your legal matters before it is too late. Help your family set up your legal authorizations to make it easier for them as your disease progresses. We offer free legal consultations to help you with your decisions. Call our office at (916) 483-2002 or (800) 540-3340.
The By Us For Us© Guides are a series of guides created by a group of talented and passionate persons with dementia and/or partners in care. The guides are designed to equip persons with dementia with the necessary tools to enhance their well-being and manage daily challenges. What makes these guides particularly useful is that they are created by persons with dementia and/or partners in care, for persons with dementia and/or partners in care.
These documents were produced at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada by the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program.
- Before/Early Diagnosis: This guide is meant to provide help and reassurance for those who are concerned about possible symptoms of dementia and provides knowledge about the diagnosis, assessment and testing process.
- Safety when out and about: This guide offers tips and strategies for staying safe in the community, including communication strategies and planning ahead.
- Living safely: This guide offers many tips and strategies to understand safety concerns related to driving, safety at home and in the community, personal identification and use of technology, health and medication, physical safety, safety of persons with dementia when home alone, and financial safety.
- Memory workout: Find examples of cognitive exercises which encourages persons with dementia to develop and maintain regular "workouts" for the brain so as to function better while engaging in enjoyable activities.
- Managing triggers: A practical guide focusing on managing triggers associated with social situations, verbal communication, changes of abilities and memory, and managing your environment and negative emotions.
- Enhancing communication: This guide provides practical solutions for persons with dementia and emphasizes the importance of using a wide range of communication strategies in order to make opinions, feelings and experiences known.
- Living and celebrating life through leisure: Meaningful leisure can be a wide range of activities from enjoying coffee on your deck first thing in the morning to being involved with other people in a more structured and challenging venue. Activities that leave us feeling good are so important in contributing to a quality of life that everyone strives for.
- Enhancing wellness: This guide provides helpful tips for eating well, taking care of your body, being physically active, staying centered with yourself, staying connected with others, and living in peace, all of which are important in enhancing wellness.
- Tips & strategies: A helpful resource that contains ideas and suggestions for living daily with an illness causing dementia. The guide provides additional memory "workout" ideas, tips for those in the workforce, and general tips and strategies for daily living.
- Food & mealtime Whether shopping or preparing meals, or going to eat a restaurant to eat, it is important to acknowledge and accept changes around food and mealtimes for both persons with dementia and partners in care.
Although symptoms vary considerably from person to person, the first problem experienced by many people is forgetfulness, which worsens over time. As the disease progresses, other symptoms inevitably appear, including disorientation to date and place, difficulty with organizing and planning, trouble with expressing and comprehending language, getting lost in familiar places, and changes in behavior and personality.
