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Caregiver Safety Information during COVID‐19
Daily Life Adjustments
The Importance of Social Connections
The Benefits of Getting Outdoors
Dementia & Activities
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6/24/2020 4
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When it comes to COVID‐19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, older people are especially vulnerable to severe illness
Research is showing that adults 60 and older, especially those with preexisting medical conditions, especially heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or cancer are more likely to have a severe or possibly deadly coronavirus infection than other age groups
If you’re caring for an older loved one, you might be especially concerned and worried
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First and most important, as a caretaker you should take all the precautions you can to avoid becoming infected yourself
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after providing care, preparing food, using the bathroom, or touching surfaces in public places
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Avoid crowds If you cough or sneeze, do so into the bend of your
elbow or into a disposable tissue Keep your hands away from your face Clean frequently touched surfaces in your home
often, including mobility and medical equipment used by your loved one, such as walkers, canes and handrails
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If a frontline worker has another essential job of caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s important to take precautions when they get home from work to protect their loved one from exposure to the coronavirus.
Leave what you can at work
To the best extent possible, don’t bring protective gear such as masks, gloves or gowns into your home. Leave these items at work (and if they need to be disposed of after use, dispose of them safely at work.)
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Empty your pockets. Before going into the house, empty your pockets and
leave whatever you can either at work or in your car (i.e. pens, loose change).
For items that you need to bring inside with you (i.e. cell phone, wallet, keys), wipe them down as soon as you get home
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Keep your distance. Wash your hands immediately and sanitize any items
you touched (door knob, countertop, etc.). Before approaching family or sitting down, remove
the clothes you wore at work and leave them in a laundry room or basket ready for the laundromat.
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Keep your distance.As best you can, keep dirty work clothes out of reach or inaccessible to the person with Alzheimer’s, as they may not know or remember not to touch these items.
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Clean up. Take a hot shower using plenty of soap and
shampoo. Do not touch or come in contact with the person until
you’ve done this!
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Have family time with peace of mind. Social stimulation and engagement are very
important for someone with Alzheimer’s disease Spend time talking with your loved one and/or do a
favorite activity together
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The COVID‐19 outbreak is disrupting many parts of daily life for everyone, but those challenges are magnified for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Changes in daily routines can lead to anxiety, confusion, agitation and/or discomfort.
As we all adjust to this ‘new normal’, caregivers should know about steps they can take to adapt routines and help their loved ones stay calm and comfortable.
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Maintaining schedules. If the person you are caring for is used to getting up, eating meals and going to bed at set times, stick to that schedule as much as possible.
Bringing outside destinations inside. If the person you are caring for regularly eats at a favorite restaurant every Sunday, order in from that restaurant or cook a favorite dish they like to order.
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Many adult day and respite care programs are closed to protect public health but doing similar activities at home can be beneficial.
If they normally go to a program at a certain time, do activities that they would usually do during that time period (i.e. listen to music, dance, exercise).
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Use FaceTime, phone calls or text messages to keep the person connected with family and friends who would normally visit them in person.
If someone calls or uses FaceTime with the person regularly because they live out of town, try to keep the contact during the usual time slot.
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Utilizing familiarity: Surrounding the person with familiar and positive items,
food, music and clothing can be comforting and help reduce potential anxiety and stress
The more familiar, the better
Being supportive: Your own body language and attitude can affect the
behavior of the person for whom you are caring Remaining calm and attentive and showing the person
love and care can help them adapt to the changes
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Creating a daily schedule with lots of visual cues (photos, stickers, drawings). Create a regular schedule of what the person will be
doing every hour, or every half hour, and review it with them and revisit it regularly.
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Gardening provides cardiovascular benefits The movement and exercise helps with strengthening
and flexibility The sunlight while gardening outside is a great way to
get vitamin D, which many older adults lack
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Gardening can reduce agitated or anxious behaviors for patients with dementia
Being outside in nature can also reduce stress and cortisol levels
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Wear appropriate clothing: wide‐brimmed hat, shoes with a good gripping sole, gloves to protect skin from thorn pricks or scratches
Remember to apply sunscreen and hydrate Use a bench for comfort instead of kneeling or
bending over
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One important way to lower the risk of your older family members catching COVID‐19 is to limit in‐person visits
This can be hard for older adults who enjoy time spent with friends and family members
Social distancing doesn’t have to mean isolation or loneliness
We need to keep older adults safe, but also keep in mind that social isolation can have a negative impact on older people’s immunity and mental health
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With many houses of worship closing their doors until the pandemic eases, congregants, especially older ones, may feel cut off.
Faith communities are often a big part of social interaction and support for the elderly.
Caregivers can help them access online worship services.
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To help older adults feel involved, purposeful and less lonely during the pandemic:
Show them how or help them to video chat with others using smartphones, laptops or tablets
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You can use apps on devices to provide captions for adults with hearing challenges
Encourage friends and family outside of your household to telephone, write notes, email or send cards
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Many older adults still enjoy the art of letter writing and sending cards.
Assist them with stamps and mailing letters Encourage friends and family to write also
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This is a good time to do a project they can work on: Organizing old photographs Go through old memorabilia together, and enjoy
the stories and happy memories they inspire
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Other possible projects include: Cooking a favorite family recipe Share favorite songs Making your senior a playlist of songs from when
they were young.
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It is important for everyone to try and reduce stress as much as possible, especially those with dementia.
Excessive stress can result in reduced memory capacity, as well as adverse physical responses such as poor sleep.
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For people with dementia, avoiding doing more than they can cope with or more than one thing at a timecan help prevent stress
Both physical and mental exercise are very good ways of dealing with the effects of stress
Focusing the brain on a challenging task can remove attention from some of the causes of stress
People in the early stages of dementia may choose from a range of brain exercises or continue activities that they have enjoyed in the past.
People in later stages of dementia may enjoy simpler exercises that relate to their own interests and capabilities. Such exercises could include: Doing simple calculations Reading aloud from books Storytelling can increase attention, participation and
stimulate memories Imagery exercises Dancing Listening to music
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Keeping active in the things they enjoy is extremely important for people with dementia
Rather than giving up activities that are becoming difficult, it may be possible to modify the activity or break it down into manageable parts
Avoid choosing activities that are beyond the person’s capabilities to avoid frustration
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Much has been written about the potential of “brain games” to prevent or at least delay the onset of dementia. But what about games for people who already have memory loss?
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Games provide social and mental stimulation that contribute to well‐being
Consider some card, picture, word and computer games that are fun, exercise the brain and may possibly slow cognitive impairment
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It can be difficult for the person with dementia to learn new games, so the best are familiar ones that are associated with past success and have few steps
A simplified version of the card game may be better
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Some people may enjoy sorting cards according to suit (hearts, spades, clubs or diamonds) or color (black or red)
Bingo is another game that taps into ones long‐term memory. Simplified boards with larger and less numbers to find can be bought or homemade.
Example of Homemade picture BINGO cards
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Games that involve pictures of cars, clothing, movie stars or events from their youth bring back the pleasures of “the good old days.”
Print out several pictures from the Internet and place them on the table so that each player can take a turn naming a picture for the other player to find. This is a great way to stimulate conversation about grandpa’s old Ford truck or mother’s Singer sewing machine.
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You can print out two copies of each picture to create a memory game.
Place all the pictures face‐up on the table. Each player takes a turn finding two matching pictures and then describing what they are.
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There are many tactile and simplified activities available on the market advertised for people with dementia, but many times they are costly
A much less expensive alternative is to simplify games that you already have, or make homemade activities utilizing pictures or household items
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What 's in the Bag Game? Get a bag and fill it with different everyday items such as:
Cotton balls Hairbrush Bracelet Washcloth Q‐tips Golf ball Sock Clothespin
Take turns and feel inside the bag, then guess aloud what the items are.
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Play Dough/Clay for a Tactile Exercise Monitor them during the activity Give your senior some clay or play dough and have
them make something This is good exercise for their hands This can provide much needed sensory input
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• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions‐and‐diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus‐caregiving‐for‐the‐elderly
• https://caregiver.com/articles/routines‐coronavirus‐alz/
• https://caregiver.com/articles/essential‐workers‐alz/