I learned early in life about the perils of impaired
cognition. I worked for Scotiabank for
many years as a customer service agent. In
this role, I would assist many clients who I now assume had dementia with their
finances. I remember having to call family
when one elderly woman replaced her visa card six times in one month. The family found them all in the lettuce
compartment. Or, the other lady that
paid the same roofer three times. She
was being taken advantage of. In school,
I read the book “The Man That Mistook His Wife for a Hat”. What a great way to understand dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease.
It is national Alzheimer’s week so I thought I would take
some time to talk about this very sad and difficult illness. Alzheimer’s disease, or related dementias,
impact 1 in 11 Canadian’s over the age of 65, with three quarters of these
being females. It is expected that
within a generation, this will double, to around 1.3 million people (http://www.alzheimertoronto.org/ad_Statistics.htm).
Signs of Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia include:
Judgment: such
as forgetting how to use household appliances.
Sense
of time and place: getting lost on
one's own street; being unable to recognize or find familiar areas in the home.
Behavior: becoming easily confused, suspicious or fearful.
Physical
ability: having trouble with balance; depending
upon a walker or wheelchair to get around.
Senses: experiencing changes in vision, hearing, sensitivity to
temperatures or depth perception.
Assessment
of this is often done medically by eliminating other factors that could explain
these problems (such as poor sleep, medication use, other conditions, stress,
etc). Also, an Occupational Therapy Assessment in the home is very helpful at
determining how the noted problems are impacting function, how these can be
addressed or treated, if the person is safe to be at home (with or without
supports), and what care is required.
Following the assessment, the Occupational Therapist can make
recommendations regarding devices, strategies, and supports that can help to
reduce the impacts of the disability, improve safely, promote independence, and
ensure the caregiver is trained to provide the necessary support. Such suggestions could include ways to:
- Remove hazards at home.
- Prevent unwanted wandering.
- Safeguard medications.
- Reduce physical barriers that impact mobility.
- Improve visual perception through aids, devices and care techniques.
- Reduce against risks of unsafe food and beverage preparation or consumption.
As
with most things, early diagnosis and intervention is key. Seek medical attention and ask for an OT
in-home assessment to gather information about how to improve function, and to
safely prevent premature losses that can result from lack of information about
the condition and its management.
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