Need to speak with people who are suffering from Alzheimer's or their caretakers.

[michelle415]

Hello.

I am writing an article for NurseWeek magazine aimed at providing nurses with information for taking better care of their patients and encouraging new nurses to go into this important field.

I would like to find a few people to interview to bring a personal touch to the story. Please contact me if you or someone you love is being treated for Alzheimer's. I am especially interested in talking with those who have experience with new treatments.

Please email me at savage6513@hotmail.com or call (415) 225-8077.

Thank you very much.

Michelle C. Savage

 

[Chesca]

Dear Michelle

Seeing as I've been asked, the most significiant piece of personal advice I would suggest to a professional carer of a dementia patient would be: be prepared to listen to the previous carer more, the family member who has been looking after the new resident without benefit of any training, through the miasma of the rollercoaster years of peaks and troughs, and has learned the individual needs and foibles of their charge, in my case my beloved mother. We know how to get the pills in, the bathing done, the hair dressed the drawers on, in short the whole kit and kaboodle. What we don't need to hear is that our loved one is 'being difficult'. Ask us/ use us: don't dismiss the benefits of our various experiences garnered over so many years as we have to hand over our loved ones to strangers, albeit the kindest, for most part, of strangers. Don't make us redundant so early in the game, let us work together for the benefit of everybody so that a trust grows to the point where we can let go a little more.

New treatment? What new treatment? It's all about openness, which in my experience is in short supply around here, have to make yourself unpleasant to get the information (which for me is no hardship, I have a good starting block these days) - back to what I was saying.
Good luck

Regards
Chesca

p.s. My partner, JJ, just clipped by this (doesn't often) and said one word 'togetherness'. We needed to work together as opposed to against one another which so often feels the case.

 

[storm]

Hi Michelle, I am a full time carer for my mum in law i would be glad to help in any way i can but i have to agre with chesca what treatments you are told your mum as A/D go home and get on with it. I have learnt so much on my own by trial and error.I am glad to see a proffessional useing this site.storm