Alzheimer’s

Image of a bandage-wrapped forearm with a fist down dark hand peeking out of wrapping. on the right is an open-palmed hand holding a bunch of pills.

Potential Causes of Skin Picking with Dementia and How to Help

Dear Carol: My mom is in mid-stage Alzheimer’s, so she has fidgety hands. Even though I lotion her skin regularly, she’ll zero...

Image background is a green house with rows of flowers. Foregound is a middle-aged couple. The gray haired man is tall and wearing a brown sweater. He's embracing a woman with long brown hair drawn back showing gray hair at the temples. She's wearing a brown and white print summer dress with off-the-shoulder ruffle.

Accepting Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Hard, Yet Capacity for Joy Remains

Dear Carol: Six months ago, our lives changed when my husband, age 58, was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He has good...

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When a Person Living with Dementia Says, ‘I Just Want to Go Home’

Update: Some current thinking is that the emotion behind this sad lament is more about finding a level of emotional comfort than...

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Elders Who Abuse Their Family Caregivers: Yes – It Happens

Most of us have seen evidence of people being harder on those they love than they are on strangers or even people...

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Coping when Both Parents Have Dementia

“My mom and dad both have dementia. I am all alone taking care of them since. I have no one to help...

Family Disagrees about Moving Widowed Mom Weeks After Husband’s Death

Dear Carol: Dad died two weeks ago at 89 years of age. Mom is 87 and has what they think is early-stage...

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Ways to Minimize Grief for a Surviving Spouse with Dementia

Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia...

Affectionate older gray-haired couple, man in blue sweater and woman in red sweater.

Alzheimer’s: Theft, Paranoia or Forgetfulness?

The truth, as they see it, is still the truth in their eyes. Delusions, hallucinations, agitation, aggression and depression are all part...

In the foreground we see a jumble of clothing, mostly in brown tones with some rush and cream. Behind the mess is a woman in a bulky coat in the same colors. We see some brownish hair on top of her head but her face is buried behind the jumbled clothing.

Rummaging: When People with Dementia Dig Through Drawers or Trash

Dear Carol: I’m struggling. My husband was always super neat, but Alzheimer’s gradually took away his ability to organize even the basics...

Planning a “Picnic” for a Loved One in a Senior Living Community

While most senior living communities offer an array of programs and events, activities directors often work with limited budgets and are challenged...