"Let's Find the Cause of Your Losses in Memory and Thinking
So That You Can Live Your Life Up to Your Full Potential"

Not Like It Used To Be

I forget the names of people I’ve known for years. In the middle of talking to someone, I forget what I want to say.

I Get So Confused

Like, did I take my medicine this morning? I just can’t remember. Everyone is upset with me, but I can’t help it.

It's 3 a.m. and I Can't Sleep

For so long I’ve been so worried about my parents. The whole family is so concerned about their problems with memory and thinking.

I'm Concerned

I’ve known this couple for many years and lately they’ve changed. They’ve stopped going to church activities and they get lost driving.

Treatment Support

It’s past time that these patients undergo more testing than I can provide. I need help figuring out what is going on.

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January 2009 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Stanley Ferneyhough   

Being Successful in Interactions with People Having Alzheimer’s disease

The old perspective is, when people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease they have no future.  The truth is that after this diagnosis people can live ten or more years, which is quite a future.  The quality of life they and you have after the diagnosis depends on how well all of you understand what Alzheimer’s disease does physically (symptoms of the disease process), and what are the results of not paying attention to the symptoms and, thus, having to then deal with the outcomes (emotional and behavioral). 

One symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is loss of the ability to reason and plan well (executive functioning), making it difficult for individuals with Alzheimer’s to be successful in complex situations.  They become frustrated, agitated, angry and aggressive when unable to function successfully in complex situations.   Frustration, agitation, anger and aggression are not symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease; they are outcomes of the symptom of deterioration of executive functioning.  Constantly understanding at what level of ability the individual is at with the skill of executive functioning so you can challenge them up to but not beyond their capabilities will help avoid their reactions of frustration, agitation, anger and aggression. 


Another symptom is memory loss.  
 
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