Keep
It Simple
In
order to make living easier for both of you, it is important
to keep things simple. A person with Alzheimer's disease
has increasing difficulty when she is faced with too
much at one time.
Even
our most routine tasks are made up of many steps. For
example, dressing includes choosing the right clothes,
deciding the correct order and putting them on.
It
may be necessary for you to break down these tasks into
manageable steps. This will allow her to do what she
can for herself, leaving you to help with the rest. For
example, choose the clothes for her, lay them out in
the order she should put them on and guide her to start
with the underwear and continue through the pile of clothing.
Although
it is necessary to simplify tasks, it is also important
to allow the person to have as much control as possible
of her life. Give her the chance to make choices. As
her ability decreases, there will be some areas where
you will have to make
the decisions for
her.
Some
ways of keeping day-to-day living simple are to:
- buy
clothes that are easy to put on
- keep
only a few clothes in the closet, making decisions
easier
- choose
a simple hairstyle
- use
an electric razor for men
- simplify
the table setting by removing unnecessary cutlery and
dishes from the table when eating
- provide
finger foods when forks and knives become difficult
to manage
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