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| At Home With Alzheimer's Disease |
Pacing, Wandering and Confusion
Following are some examples of changes that may be made to an Alzheimer household to accommodate the pacing, wandering and confusion that are typical of AD.
Wandering and Pacing
Buy a second-hand walking machine.
Move furniture back from the centre of rooms, remove all small pieces of furniture, and keep hallways clear of furniture and knick-knacks, to allow for pacing and circular wandering.
Keep a solid armchair in the kitchen or the centre of quiet activity, so that the AD person can sit there and be a part of things. This may discourage wandering.
Move a bed or a sofa bed to the main floor of a two-storey house so that the AD person can rest when weary without going up stairs.
Confusion and Whereabouts
For apartment dwellers- mark the door of the AD person's apartment in a very distinct way, perhaps with a photograph, a wreath, or a flag of some sort.
Likewise, put a sign or a symbol that means something special to the AD person on their bedroom door, to help them know where they are.
If the patient is a rummage-and-hide person lock away clothes in a separate bedroom and then dole them out one outfit at a time.
Allow the person with AD to carry out old habits (like watering the plants or having a nap after lunch or collecting the mail) as long as these habits do not put anyone at risk.
Leave on all lights in the house if the AD person feels surrounded and frightened by darkness, and adjust the lighting to reduce shadows. This may require adding additional lighting.
Remove carpeting if the patient becomes confused about where to urinate. (It is usually males who have this problem.)
Colour the water in the toilet bowl to assist a male patient's aim.
Anxiousness and Restlessness
There are three main changes that can be made to private homes to prevent or decrease the anxiousness and restlessness of persons with AD.
Keep the television off, move it to a private caregiver's room, or watch only non-violent program with the AD person.
Play soothing music that is appropriate to the age and era of the AD person.
Cover all the mirrors in the house and keep the curtains drawn at night. Reflections can be very frightening to people with dementia when they do not recognize the people in the reflections.
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