Alzheimer's Caregiver Lament -- This is Not the Person I Knew (Audio)

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

In order to communicate effectively with a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease you need to come to an understanding that they are now living in a new world -- I often refer to this as Alzheimer's world....

Conquering Urinary Incontinence -- The First Bladder Infection of the Year

Last year my mother had five bladder infections. This is a common occurrence amongst people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia....

By Bob DeMarco

Beginning in 2008, I came upon a solution that not only allowed me to detect my mother's frequent bladder infections, it also allowed us to cut down her urinary incontinence to near zero.

In 2008, I made a simple observation, my mother seemed to be warmer when I held her hand. I also noticed that she seemed to be perspiring a bit.

Alzheimer’s Patients Have Muted Emotions

Perspective on Alzheimer's behavior.

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com “One important implication of this work is that when an Alzheimer’s patient appears emotionally blunted, the clinician or caregiver should not assume the patient is depressed and automatically treat with antidepressants, as other organic factors could be at work,” said Todd Feinberg, M.D., a professor of clinical neurology and psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, who did not participate in the research. Watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s disease can be a painful process, but for the patient, the experience may be a muted one. Alzheimer’s patients can appear withdrawn and apathetic, symptoms often attributed to their memory problems or difficulty finding the words to communicate.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Alzheimer's and the Dreaded Bowel Movement

I already wrote about how I beat urinary incontinence and bladder infections. That solution is not perfect. Poop. No enema, no pills, no laxatives. How I won the Poop-E war.....

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

I really wanted to entitle this article Alzheimer's and the Magic Elixir. However, I am not using anything to mask the taste of my solution so it just didn't fit. I also considered Alzheimer's and the Poop Panacea. Panacea does fit -- panacea is a literary term to represent any solution to solve all problems related to a particular issue.

This article is about implementing a solution to a problem with someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease and having a problem with bowel movements.

I knew the solution to the dreaded bowel movement problem for years. I couldn't get my mother to cooperate. When she wouldn't cooperate, I would give up. At least three or four times over a two year period.

To read the complete article go here --
Alzheimer's and the Dreaded Bowel Movement

Communications in Alzheimer's World

The most important part of the equation is understanding that something has to change and that something is you.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

In order to communicate effectively with someone suffering from Alzheimer's you need to learn an entirely new way to communicate. Sound easy? It isn't.

We all develop certain patterns of communication over the course of our life. This is the way we communicate.

Most of you probably know a family filled with hot blooded Italians. You might observe them fighting or arguing all the time. You might also notice that they do this, and then almost immediately they shrug it off, acting as if nothing had happen. I suspect this kind of behavior goes across ethnic boundaries.

During the course of your life, you might have learned to correct someone when they say something that is not true. Or, correct them when they get their facts mixed up.