Author Archives: simuapril

Alzheimer’s Patient: Holidays, Howling Hysteria, Past Hurts, and how Being in the Present Helps

It was Thanksgiving at 4:50 pm. I arrived for my shift of 14 hours and called on my cell phone to let my employer know I had arrived. However, instead of hearing the familiar, “Hello,” on the other end of the line, I heard the garage door softly rumble open, and then the hysterical howlingContinue reading “Alzheimer’s Patient: Holidays, Howling Hysteria, Past Hurts, and how Being in the Present Helps”

Alzheimer’s Patient: Baseline Confusion Versus Baseline Content, Satisfaction, and Joy 

This September 2020 marks my fourth anniversary of caring for one of my Alzheimer’s clients. She turns 94 in November. In the four years that I have been with her, I have only experienced three baseline confusion episodes, and each one lasted about six hours. We (all caregivers) log everything. We read each other’s log entriesContinue reading “Alzheimer’s Patient: Baseline Confusion Versus Baseline Content, Satisfaction, and Joy “

Nurturing the Alzheimer’s Client

On Thursday, October 8th, 2020, I arrived for my caregiving shift for my Alzheimer’s client, an elder of 93 years, at 7:00 pm.  Her daughter, my employer, was in distress, explaining that her mother had refused to take her medication for a 24 hour period.  She was also concerned because her mother’s eye was swollenContinue reading “Nurturing the Alzheimer’s Client”

The Caregiver’s Journey 2

The Behavior Log is the most critical log for the documentation of what happens with my client during each person’s shift. The more I read the logbook, the more I am convinced that much of my client’s behavior is based upon the caregiver surrounding him. The further my client moves in the later stages ofContinue reading “The Caregiver’s Journey 2”