Independently Living with Alzheimer's

I want to help my mom live independently as long as possible.  So my sister and I spent part of the day looking for tools to help her to be able to maintain her own independence a bit longer.

When mom and I spoke to her doctor he had a few suggestions on how to help her stay independent a bit longer one item he suggested was a one month pill organizer. His concern as well as mine was her remembering to take it. He suggested one with alarms; and my thought and reaction was that it may be too confusing to use and that she might become frustrated with it.

 However, I did find the Live Fine Automatic Pill Dispenser that I think we are going to give a try. It holds a months worth of medication. Alarms can be set for morning and night medications and there is a key that locks it. That way we can keep track if she is taking her medication and we don't have to worry about anyone taking her medications. Here is a video that shows how the dispenser works; it is a large device, but all she has to do is tip it up to get the pills out and then it resets for the next dose.



Another device my sister and I discussed was a large faced clock and calendar to hang on the wall to help remind her what day it is. One of the things my mother struggles with is loss of time. She is easily confused by a 30 day calendar. For example, if she can't remember yesterday she went to church in the morning; she might think that the current day is Sunday.  She thinks this often and often gets dress for church every morning.

I discovered this 8" Digital Calendar Alarm Day Clock.  The following is the description of the Clock features from it's website.

• BEST CLOCK FOR SENIOR CARE: This High Resolution 8-inch display clearly spells out the full DAY of the WEEK, MONTH and DATE in large, bold letters with no confusing abbreviations. Clock also displays MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING, or NIGHT during the following times: 6:00 am - 11:59 am (MORNING), 12:00 pm - 4:59 pm (AFTERNOON), 5:00 pm to 9:59 pm (EVENING), and 10:00 pm to 5:59 am (NIGHT).

• UNIQUE FEATURES: This alarm day clock is one of a kind. It includes an alarm function and 2-color display option (White / Yellow). Users can set up to 3 daily alarms which are very useful for senior people for daily meals or for taking medications.

• AUTO DIMMING OPTION: The display dims every night at 7:00PM (10cd/M2) and brightens up during the day at 7:00 AM (50cd/M2), similar to other branded day clocks in market. BUT our clock gives users the option to turn off the auto dimming function, especially for the people who prefer higher brightness at night.

• ENLARGED A.M/P.M.: This clock has enlarged A.M. /P.M. font and the height is 3/4’’. Those special loved ones will not confuse morning and night anymore.

• IDEAL GIFT: The words Dementia, Alzheimer's and Memory Loss were intentionally excluded from the packaging to alleviate any embarrassment, making it a great gift.

We are considering one of the digital clocks that also shows the weather or temperature so mom can be informed of how to dress for the day; but that may depend on the method for the temperature to be sent to the device.



Another useful device my mom might find useful is a new house phone. I noticed the one she has seems to have a lot of noise on the phone line and is a bit difficult to use. We discovered the Clarity P300 phone that allows you to add family and friends pictures to the buttons so she does not have to remember their numbers.

• Amplifies incoming sounds up to 20dB
• 9 programmable photo memory buttons
• Adjustable incoming volume control
• Bright visual ring indicator
• Large, easy-to-use keypad

Another phone is the Picture Care phone. 

• Pictures can be placed on each button
• Ringer switch with Hi/Lo/Off
• Bright LED lights for incoming calls
• 10 Two-touch or 10 one-touch memory keys
• Red 911 emergency key

The last of the tools we are currently looking in to is something my Mamaw use to have when she was in a nursing home. She had lost her eye sight and wanted to be able to know what time it was.  She use to keep this funny little device on a wrist coil bracelet that allowed her to push a fob and it would tell her the time. My lovely helpful sister searched and found this device today. It is a Talking Keychain Calendar that also gives the time. 

• Less than an inch thick. 
• Can speak the current date. 
• One daily alarm. 
• Spoken instructions guide you through every setting and feature. 
• Ultra-slim, with sleak white finish, and durable metal keychain. 
• Features clear, easy-to-hear male voice. 
• Uses 2 AG13 button cell batteries (included). 

This device can easily be paired with a set of keys and a Wrist Coil Bracelet for easy use and hopefully will help in keeping track of the keys. 

I would love to hear what you have discovered to help those who are working to maintain their independence as much as possible.  I am sure there are other tools out there; I would love to learn more. Fell free to post and make suggestions and comments. I will post later about if these tools are truly helpful. 

What You Need to Know About Nursing Home Costs

For over ten years I have asked and needed my mother to let me help her get prepared for a time when she can't do things on her own. I watched how she assisted my mamaw and pocketed tid bits of information away when it was needed.

I'm not going you to share the particulars of my mother's finances out publicly; but I don't mind sharing what I have learned.

In the past my mom had expressed an interest in staying in the same nursing home my mamaw stayed in.  I called today to ask what exactly it cost to live there. The amounts were not shocking you me only because I had been trying to prepare for this transition for a while and had already completed some research.

I was told the independent apartments are $2700.00 a month but there is a waiting list for them, and there is no medical assistance provided.

The inside studio apartments are $3061.00 a month; and limited medical assistance can be provided if necessary.

Then there are also semi-private rooms that are $143.00 a day or $4443.00 a month.

Now any of these rooms can be private pay or if the person qualifies for Medicaid they can get assistance in paying for the room.  To qualify for the Medicaid assistance program the individual must make less income than $2000.00 a month. The individual can not have more than $2000.00 in an account. The individual can own Term life insurance policies that pay out Atty the time of their death, but they can not own a life insurance policy that has cash value; an example would be a Whole Life policy. The individual can also own a burial policy to take care of burial expenses. If the individual owns a Medicare Supplement Plan it is suggested they keep it.

You are probably wondering what happens if the person does not meet these qualifications.  Well, they have to "spend-down."  I will be talking more about this as I gain more understanding, but it basically means the government looks at your accounts and determines if you qualify for Medicaid. It used to be the government would do a five year look back into the accounts, to see if the person qualifies. For every $20,000 in the accounts there was a $5000 penalty that would have to be paid before Medicaid would kick in.  However, I heard today it may have increased to a ten year look back. I am looking into this though.

If you have not yet taken care of your accounts, expenses, Trust accounts, now is the time you do it. You can even consider a Long Term Care insurance policy to help pay for the cost of nursing home expenses.