as always, thank you so much for the visits, comments, faves, smiles, love, and support . . . and special thanks for your continued patience

**** ****

my random tips for the care of loved ones with alzheimers at home


clothing -- replace it with a more basic wardrobe . . . years ago there was a clothing line for kids called GrrAnimals . . . it was a genius idea . . . clothing items could be mixed and matched simply by looking at the tags . . . if the tag had a blue hippopotamus on it, then it would go with any other item that had a blue hippopotamus . . . green giraffes matched green giraffes . . . it was the game of snap for the children's clothing world . . . while your loved one is still capable of dressing themselves, wouldn't it be much easier if they had a similar system . . . perhaps we could call it "GreyAnimals"

security -- up till now, most of your home security has probably been aimed at keeping unwanted strangers out . . . now you need to shift your thinking to keeping your loved one in . . . don't wait until the first wandering away attempt, do it now . . . doors need to have double-keyed deadbolts - the kind that require a key from either side to open the door . . . some people have asked about emergencies - trust me, you will get in the habit of carrying a key with you at all times . . . also, check your windows to ensure they are not easy to open enough for a body to get through

late night and early morning wanderings -- one of the main reasons for security (above), but you also need to be aware of movement within the home . . . although we use a baby monitor to detect noise, movement can be silent as the night itself . . . a motion detector with audible alarm really helps out . . . you may need more than one, but arrange them to allow for movement between bedroom and bathroom

modesty -- say good-bye to it . . . theirs and yours

communication -- speaking louder does not help . . . make sure you have their attention and then try speaking slower and use smaller words . . . there is no need for a thesaurus . . . also, a common mistake is thinking if you give a good enough explanation of what you are trying to tell them, it will help . . . another mistake is thinking if you make your explanation logical enough, it will help . . . just speak slow and use small words

your siblings -- if your sister(s) and/or brother(s) offer to help care for your loved one, let them . . . do not turn down offers for assistance, after all they are their loved ones too . . .

love -- i like to think they know you still love them no matter what . . . even if they cannot remember where you "met"

your free time -- i can not tell you about something i do not have



. . . i am still choosing friends at random to feature, and choosing their deviations somewhat randomly to whet your appetites . . . i hope you will spend some time with them and show them some love . . .

in no particular order, i present . . .


lanephotography . . .


AlinaKurbiel . . .


Kimaara . . .


kkool . . .


beautifulwonders . . .


Juulian . . .



may peace be with you and yours,
tom


they shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

at the going down of the sun and in the morning,
we will remember them.

laurence binyon