How would you best handle these situations?
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The person with AD asks the same question 5-10 times over a five minute period, such as “What are we doing today?” What do you do?
1. Answer them each time calmly.
2. Answer them with a long explanation.
3. Answer them each time calmly and change the conversation to another subject.
The person with AD is having difficulty seeing and reading the newspaper. What should you do?
1. Take them to the doctor to check their eyesight.
2. Get them a newspaper that has larger print.
3. Get them large print books, fiction/nonfiction.
4. All of the above.
When you talk to the person with AD, their responses do not make sense or seem to be about a different topic. What do you do?
1. Tell them that they are not making any sense
2. Repeat their nonsensical answer to them
3. Clarify the question with a shorter sentence or try to interpret the answer.
4. Change the topic.
5. Choices 3 & 4
You ask the person with AD a question. They are having trouble finding the answer, and you are waiting awhile for an answer. What do you do?
1. Keep waiting until they find the word.
2. Try to help them find the word.
3. Ask the question again and give two choices of possible answers.
The person with AD wants to go home and they are home. What do you do?
1. Keep repeating that they are at home in a calm voice.
2. Keep repeating that they are at home, or ask where they think they are, and then change the conversation to another subject.
3. Show them the items in the house from their past as you explain that they are at home.
The person with AD drinks more than one glass of alcohol per day. What do you do?
1. Try to have them cut back to one glass a day. This may be done by diluting the alcohol.
2. Have the person switch to low alcohol products.
3. If they have an problem with a #1 or #2, you should consult a MD or therapist to help them reduce their alcohol intake, as it causes increased memory problems.
4. All of the above.
The person paces all the time. What do you do?
1. Try telling them to sit down and relax.
2. Try to distract them by listening to music or watching television, or going out for a walk.
3. Try to distract them by listening to music/ watching television and if that doesn’t help, talk to their MD.
4. Choices 2 & 3.
The person sleeps in the daytime and is up all night. What do you do?
1. Avoid excess fluids at night
2. Do not give caffeine products (coffee, tea, soda) at night.
3. Try to reverse the cycle by not letting them sleep during the daytime. if that doesn’t help, talk to their MD.
4. All of the above
The person with AD doesn’t want to eat (or thinks they have already eaten) What do you do?
1. Suggest that they try a little of what you have made, if they say no, try to force them to eat
2. Have the person start eating and if they say they have had enough, try to encourage them to eat a little more a few minutes later, and keep doing this until the food is eaten.
3. Try to provide little meal/snacks throughout the day, and ask the MD to consider a food supplement.
4. Choices 2 & 3
The person with AD refuses to take a bath/shower. What do you do?
1. Try using the words, “Lets take a bath” might help reduced the “no” answer.
2. Try having the bath occur at a different time of the day, when person is calm.
3. If the person continues to refuse to bathe, try a sponge bath, or using a soap that dissolves on the skin. (ie: “No Rinse”)
4. All of the above
Case Study
Mrs. R is a 90-year-old woman with 8 children who suffers from advanced dementia. She is not able to feed herself or attend to her basic activities of daily living. Over the past month, she has had more difficulty swallowing and is not in an intensive are unit because she has less interest in eating and developed pneumonia. When she was well, she never discussed her preferences for artificial nutrition and hydration nor chosen a health care agent. Under NYS law who could make these medical decision for her?
1. Medical doctor who fees she needs artificial nutrition and know what is best for her.
2. The children who want artificial nutrition
3. The children who do not want artificial nutrition
4. The hospital ethics committee as she had no proxy or previously expressed wishes.
Case Study
Ms. Jones is an 87-year-old woman with a 5-year history of memory loss who lives with her daughter. Ms. Jones gets up a 4 a.m. in the morning because she says she is not home, but is stopped in the front by the door attendant. Which technique is best for her caregiver to use in managing her behavior?
1. Tie her to her bed at night –she should not be getting up anyways.
2.Lock her in her bedroom –there is no need to go out at night.
3. Scream at her to get back to bed –doesn’t she know it’s the middle of the night.
4. Put locks on the apartment door so she can not leave, and consider sleeping medications.