September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and today is World Alzheimer’s Day. We thought we would put together some information about Alzheimer’s to share throughout this month. In this post, we look at ways to support a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease.

As Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia (accounting for around 75% of all dementias worldwide), it’s likely that most of us will encounter Alzheimer’s in someone close to us. A diagnosis can feel scary and daunting for all involved, and often our first instinct is to step in and take up a caring role in this person’s life, especially if they’re a close friend or a family member.

The toll that caring responsibilities can take on us shouldn’t be underestimated, and sometimes it can become too much and we might reach a breaking point. Taking a step back and letting carers like Teign Angels take over part or all of your caring duties can make us feel guilty, or like we have let our loved one down. But it’s important that we look after ourselves as well – we can’t pour from an empty cup, after all.

If you’re supporting a loved one with Alzheimer’s, here are some tips you may find useful:

• If you have dark or heavily patterned carpets or rugs (including welcome mats etc), it might be better to find a way to brighten these up. Even a lighter rug to go on top can help. This is because Alzheimer’s disease can affect our depth perception, making dark carpets or mirrors appear as voids or holes. This can make us less willing to walk, out of fear of falling into these holes – which can then lead to our mobility declining altogether
• If your loved one seems to be going ‘back in time’ (i.e. asking you to call people who are no longer around), it can be tough to know what to do. Indulging them can lead to them feeling disappointed when what they ask for doesn’t appear; but correcting them might upset and alarm them. In the case of asking for people who have died, it can restart their grief journey, even if those people died many years before. You might, instead, find it easier to be non-descript in your response, and direct their attention to something else. For example, you might say ‘let’s have some food first, then we’ll see how we go’ etc.
• Sometimes, people with Alzheimer’s can become disorientated to time (i.e. they don’t recognise night from day). Even if they can see the sun shining outside, they may believe that it’s the middle of the night. A button-activated talking clock or watch may help. An automatic talking clock may be distressing and upsetting, so one that your loved one activates themselves may be better.
• As well as being disorientated to time, sometimes people with Alzheimer’s can become disorientated to place (i.e. they don’t recognise where they are). This may mean that they become lost, or they try returning to a place of significance, like an old address. If you think your loved one is at risk of going missing, you may want to consider the Herbert Protocol. This is a form made by the police, which documents all sorts of important information about your loved one. Should your loved one go missing and you need to get the police involved, you can give them this form to give them a few pointers of where to look.

These pointers are very general. Some may not be appropriate or effective for all people. For more individual advice, you may find it useful to reach our to some of the local services available. This might include your loved one’s GP, a memory café, or any care and support providers you have in place for your loved one.