If you have a friend who is living with memory loss or if you are a full time caregiver to your loved one with dementia, you are often at a loss as to how to help them.  There are so many resources available in bookstores and certainly online there are volumes of tips and techniques that deals with certain "behaviors" like wandering, rummaging, and resisting care.

With so much available to read how is an overwhelmed caregiver supposed to keep up with everything that could make their caregiving job easier while still keeping their loved one safe and happy?  There isn't time in a day to do everything let alone do research!

In today's paper there is an alert about a woman in her 70s with Alzheimer's disease who has gone missing in Beaverton.  How sad for the family of that woman who have to be frantic searching for her!  Hopefully she was enrolled in the Safe Return Program offered by the Alzheimer's association and will be located very soon. 

We've discovered a website written by Christy Turner with caregiving tips of the day with such helpful information dealing with just one thing at a time.  Today's tip is #24 and deals with encouraging and reassuring your loved one as they attempt grooming and/or dressing themselves.  It points out that if they don't want your help to make things perfect you need to just back off and let it go.  Tip #9 deals with wandering and states that 70% of people with dementia will wander away at some point during their disease.  Great information to know!

Just snippets of information is what a person needs sometimes and not volumes to try and decipher.  Follow Christy's blog postings each day by clicking on "blog" at http://ctcdementiacaremanagement.com  We signed up on her Facebook page to automatically get daily updates. 

Making life as easy as possible for the caregiver will not only help relieve their stress level but it will help them continue to give good care for as long as it's necessary. 

What effect does stress have on your brain and your ability to remember things? Stress is good for you if you are being attacked by a bear or if you need to flee other dangerous situations. During these stressful events your adrenal glands create a significant amount of cortisol which helps your body get you to safety.  Your body then returns to a normal level of cortisol once the stressful situation is over. However, if your body and brain are always stressed, your cortisol level can remain too high affecting the formation of new memories and your ability to retrieve old information in your brain.

Many people also experience a high level of cortisol because they have too much stuff.  Paper, emails, possessions, and collectables begin to accumulate to the point that they are no longer a joy to have and instead become a stress to keep organized. They become clutter!

 Here are a few ideas on how to start to “de-clutter” your life and put an end to some of the stress that may be impairing your memory.

Avoid trying to tackle the whole house at once. When beginning to de-clutter belongings tackle one room or area at a time. About two hours at a stretch is ideal. Begin with multiple items. Start with clothing, kitchenware, tools, books and anything else you have in abundance, and narrow it down to only the amount of items that will fit in the space you have. Focus on the most-used items. Don't sort to keep by the newest and best; keep only what you will use and what you love.

Sort and keep only a few favored items. Piles of photos, memorabilia, and papers take up too much space. Many services digitize images and papers for a reasonable fee. Business supply stores often offer shredding services on a per box basis.

 "Which are your favorites?" Choose two to three "most loved" pieces of a collection to keep. Donate, sell or gift the rest of your collection. Take photos of the rest of a collection and present them in a special book. While it's not exactly the same as owning, it's a space-saving way for you to continue enjoying a collection.

Target recipients for specialty items. While it's time-consuming to find recipients for everything, it may be worth the effort for some items. Schools may welcome musical instruments, old costumes, or tools. Auto repair shops and community non-profits may take tools and yard tools.
Consider getting help. A local Salem company that is skilled at De-cluttering and getting your home ready to sell is Smooth Transitions Willamette Valley LLC. Contact Shellee Lowery at 503-779-5836 or shellee@movingforseniors.com for a no-cost consultation.

Willson House has partnered with Smooth Transition to help with another kind of stress.  The stress that caregivers have when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or other dementia can be overwhelming.   Two support groups held in Woodburn can help.  A group meets on April 21st at Woodburn Health Center (formerly Wellspring) from 2:00-3:30 pm.  Lorrie Cox, a resident in Senior Estates, facilitates a group on April 1st from 6:30pm to 8pm at the Estates Country Club.

Caregiver burnout and stress are very real and can make you sick, or worse yet, pass away before the person you are caring for.  Are you looking for a way to feel better about your role as a caregiver when life seems overwhelming?  Look no further than some really old videos of Shirley Temple!

According to a February 11, 2014 article by Anne-Marie Bolek , “Acclaimed actress, beverage namesake, diplomat; the late Shirley Temple Black wore many hats during her life, before passing away earlier this week, at the age of 85. But perhaps the most important part played by the iconic child star was that of a ray of hope for a struggling country.
The Depression-era darling was lauded by President Franklin Roosevelt as helping an economically struggling America stay somewhat optimistic, saying "During this Depression, when the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time, it is a splendid thing that for just 15 cents an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget their troubles… As long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be alright."

Desperately Seek Your Shirley
Stress and depression are two too-familiar companions for many family caregivers. One essential step in becoming a more effective caregiver is to find your personal "Shirley Temple"—that beacon of hope that endures, in spite of the chaos and challenges of caring for an elderly loved one.  
Curling up with a good book, baking a beloved recipe, taking a walk and reveling in the beauty of nature— engaging in activities that reignite your faith in the positive aspects of life are crucial for your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your loved one.

If you don't have the time or respite resources to get away right now, perhaps the real-life Shirley Temple can still be of some help. Click here to watch her videos and you might just find your mood brightened (even if only a little bit) by the singular curly-cued cherub who helped keep America going during one of the country's darkest periods.

Chances are that when President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in 1983, he had no idea that in 10 more years he would be one of those living with the disease. When he made that proclamation there were fewer than 2 million Americans with Alzheimer’s; today the number of people with the disease has soared to nearly 5.4 million with nearly 80,000 million living in Oregon. 

As we enjoy the beautiful fall season with leaves changing into brilliant reds, yellows and oranges we also must remember those at-home caregivers who are struggling to care for their loved one with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.  It’s a difficult journey, to be sure, and one that most people are not prepared for.  They need our help!

The purpose of National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month is to let the general public know more about the disease and how to help their families and friends who are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s.  What can you do to help or support a family member or friend? You can suggest that they attend a support group.  Willson House facilitates 6 groups in Marion and Clackamas counties along with the help of Christy at Golden Life Solutions.  Get more information here on the caregiver support groups. 

You can also offer to help your friends or family members but you must first of all be very specific.  Instead of saying “call me if you need anything” you might say:

•    "I'm going to the grocery store. What can I pick up for you?"
•    "I've got a couple of hours free tomorrow afternoon. May I sit in for you while you run a few errands or take some time for yourself?"
•    "I doubled my meatloaf recipe so that I could share it with you. I brought enough to last you for several meals."
•    "Do you need some laundry done? I can pick it up today and bring it back clean tomorrow."
•    "Does your yard need to be mowed? I'd be happy to take care of it this weekend."

Sometimes sending a card or making a phone call to check in on a caregiver means a lot. Emails and text messages work, too — but often personal visits are even better. Contact with the outside world can help lift a caregiver's spirits. It might seem like a small gesture to offer a few hours of your time but to that overwhelmed caregiver it will mean the world to them.