Try: Find someone with strong spiritual beliefs who is available and willing to talk to the cr that individual could be you if you are comfortable discussing spiritual matters or it could be someone else if you are not this tip assumes that you are the one discussing spiritual faith with the cr keep an open mind and maintain a non-judgmental attitude be honest trustworthy and respectful of the cr ask the cr what his or her spiritual faith and beliefs are ask the cr questions to clarify and explain personal faith and beliefs accept the cr cr’s beliefs and meet the cr on his or her level of faith regardless of what it is if you are not familiar with the cr cr’s faith or religion ask the cr to tell you about it and how he or she came to those beliefs also ask about the cr cr’s culture so that you can better understand if the cr asks you about your personal faith and beliefs be honest and open keep all of your explanations very simple allow the cr to ask questions as he or she feels comfortable doing if you are asked a question that you cannot answer be honest and say that you do not know the answer this may provide the cr with the freedom to validate his or her own feelings and resolve questions about spiritual faith have an open honest and non-threatening discussion regarding any spiritual needs that the cr has for example baptism communion need for a spiritual counselor or mentor and so on make arrangements for these needs to be met if at all possible let the cr take the lead regarding how deep the discussion about spiritual faith goes honor the cr cr’s wishes and let him or her know that you are always available for more discussion maintain good eye contact and hold the cr cr’s hand if he or she is comfortable with physical touch ask the cr if you can say a prayer many cr cr’s will accept your offer even if he or she has a different faith than yours or no faith if the cr refuses accept the refusal even in serious discussions of spiritual faith humor can be used appropriately and effectively humor may provide an opening to break barriers that hard facts cannot

Materials: n/a

Categories: Communication, Emotional Psychological, Spiritual, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Spiritual seekers transformation renewal spiritual growth revival new life

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Ask cr to say one word at a time speak slowly and exaggerate the sounds take a deep breath before speaking repeat the word or sentence if needed rephrase the thought if needed

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Medical Physical, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm

Information: n/a

References: a caregiver’s guide to huntington’s disease by huntington’s disease society of america 2011 available at www hdsa org

Keywords: Slurred speech slurs speech communication talking stutters stuttering pronunciation pronounces pronounce conversing conversations

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: When speaking to cr ask one question at a time use yes no questions if possible if you do not understand what cr said restate what you believe you heard for example try saying did you say _____ allow extra time for cr to respond wait try to remember that a lack of response is not a no response try to reduce distractions by turning the volume down on the tv or radio

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Medical Physical, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm

Information: n/a

References: a caregiver’s guide to huntington’s disease by huntington’s disease society of america 2011 available at www hdsa org

Keywords: Slurred speech slurs speech communication talking stutters stuttering pronunciation pronounces pronounce conversing conversations

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Make arrangements for the cr to have a phone conversation with family and friends talk to the cr and make up a list of everyone that he or she would like to contact to say goodbye if the cr is not able to help you develop the list due to physical or cognitive challenges use your best judgement as to who should be contacted get input from others if needed if necessary contact everyone on the list and set up a time for a phone conversation with the cr when the pre-arranged time comes #place the phone near the cr #call the friend or family member #hold the phone up to the cr cr’s ear so that a phone conversation can take place #tell the cr that you are willing to leave the room if he or she wants a private conversation the cr should let know know if that is the case #check with the cr periodically to see how this process is working and make adjustments as needed #consider using a speakerphone instead of regular phone or cell phone if it would make things easier for the cr #after the phone conversation is completed take the phone from the cr hang up and go on to the next call

Materials: Pen and notepad regular telephone cell phone or speakerphone with a loud volume

Categories: Communication, Emotional Psychological, Social, Spiritual, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Saying goodbye end of life grieving hospice

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The seizure lasts more than five minutes if the cr has one seizure after another without gaining consciousness between episodes if the seizure stops but the cr does not regain consciousness within 10-15 minutes

Materials: n/a

Categories: Communication, Medical Physical

Information: n/a

References: Epilepsy com

Keywords: Seizure epilepsy emergency

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Advise cr to stay calm cr should try to keep his her cool and assess the situation if cr has feelings of anger bubbling inside of him her suggest that cr take a moment to calm down before talking to his her children even if cr’s adult children are already screaming at the top of their voice advise cr not to follow suit instead the cr should try to say that he she will only talk to them if they lower their voices and stay calm suggest that cr let his her adult children know how he she feels cr may want to try to have a chat with them suggest that cr let them know that he she doesn’t appreciate their inconsiderate actions suggest that cr describe how these actions are affecting him her and possibly other people around you suggest that cr ask if they have a problem sometimes adult children act out because of personal problems that they are going through they might be having financial difficulties health issues or their relationships may be on the rocky side suggest that cr find out if something is bothering them suggest that cr see how he she can extend help to his her adult children without making them too dependent on him her encourage cr not to give in cr should avoid letting his her adult children to force cr to do anything against cr’s will remind cr that he she doesn’t have to explain why he she doesn’t want to do something however if cr feels he she must make sure cr explains the reasons in a calm manner encourage cr to set boundaries cr should let his her adult children know that they cannot always run to cr for every little thing advise cr to tell them what kind of support cr can offer and how far cr is willing to go encourage cr to do something for them only because he she wants to there are things that cr can do or give to his her adult children which they will surely appreciate gifts monetary or otherwise helping them raise their kids doing special chores for them and more however remind cr that he she should only do so because he she wants to and not because they forced him her too encourage cr not to let guilt consume him her otherwise they might keep on using this as a weapon to get what they want out of cr encourage cr to keep the loving bond alive out of sight should not be out of mind even if cr’s adult children have moved out encourage cr to make sure to communicate with them regularly remind cr not to let the physical distance keep cr emotionally far from them open communication helps avert misunderstandings

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Financial, Personal, Social

Information: n/a

References: how to deal with inconsiderate adult children by sophia myers no date available at www howtodothings com

Keywords: Adult children family relationships communication family dispute taken advantage of rude adult children guilt anger

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Avoid pretending there’s nothing wrong the worst thing you can do when cr is depressed is to pretend that there’s no problem ignoring it won’t make the problem go away when you talk to cr you can ask what’s wrong and let him her know that you are there for him her should he she needs anything you can let cr know that you notice there are some disturbing changes and you care for him her take the initiative try reaching out to cr don’t wait for cr to make the initiative to talk to you or get help in many instances you may need to confront cr and let him her know that there is something wrong take cr out if you know that cr is depressed you can be a friend by offering to take him her out go outdoors and get some sun cr may choose to hide in isolation in his her house but this makes things worse it can be as simple as taking cr out for lunch or going out for a walk together sometimes simply changing up the scenery can be enough to help revive cr and help him her get out of his her stupor one great activity that you can engage in together is exercise exercise can help alleviate depression because it releases endorphins in the body be patient it can be frustrating to deal with cr’s depressed mood especially when cr is in denial however try to set aside your anger and frustration and remember that it isn’t about you rather it’s about helping out cr be patient and listen to hcrwhen he she tells you his her feelings or decides to share with you what is wrong try offering suggestions on what cr can do to deal with the depression suggest that cr talk to a pastor at your church remind cr the value of his her life and all the other good things he she has going for him her listen to cr and take the time to help him her out use physical contact to let cr know you care it may not always be easy but you have a responsibility to see to cr’s well-being

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal, Social

Information: n/a

References: how to talk to someone who’s depressed by russell brooks no date available at www howtodothings com

Keywords: Depressed depression communication emotional weel-being

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Set up a computer and internet connection in cr’s place of residence or if cr is living with you teach him her how to boot the computer and how to connect to the internet he she has to learn this so that he she can do this even if you are not with him her teach cr how to create an account with any of the free email services available on the web show cr how to open a browser once he she is connected to the internet and how to open his her email account cr should have a user name and password that are easy to remember you may have to write these down so that he she does not forget show and explain to cr the different parts of an email account explain what an inbox sent mail and trash mean cr should also learn how to add new contacts to his her address book this will be essential as the auto address-filling feature of the email service will be of great use to cr show cr how to start a new email by clicking on the right icon or button he she has to know where to put the email address of his her contact how to add other contacts and how to use the cc function next is for cr to learn how to add a subject line to his her new email and what characters to avoid so that his her email will not be labeled as spam tell cr not to write the subject line using all capital letters and avoid using punctuation marks like periods commas apostrophes dashes exclamation points and dollar signs after cr has learned all that the next thing for him her to do is to compose an email tell him her that it is like typing a letter and it can be short or long depending on what he she wants to tell the recipients show cr that typing on the keyboard is like typing on a regular typewriter with enter as the return key after cr has composed a short message show him her how to click the send button to send the email if cr wants to attach pictures he she should know how and where to locate the pictures and how to attach them to his her email make him her practice doing these things by sending you the email for demonstration or cr can send it to him herself so that he she will be able to learn how to open his her email and in some cases download the attachments the last thing cr needs to learn is how to reply to the email that he she receives if he she so desires and how to delete those emails that he she does not want to keep

Materials: Pen and paper

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Personal, Social

Information: From the telephone book look under support groups or nicotine anonymous

References: how to teach a senior citizen to use email by katherine watson no date available at www howtodothings com

Keywords: Email computers internet

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Try to quickly change the subject as soon as cr is asked a nosey question suggest that cr deftly dodge the bullet and in an abrupt shift of conversation-mode glance in another direction and excitedly say something else like oh what a nice outfit this color is one of my favorites or would you like something to drink or let me check what the grandbaby is doing proceed to talk about the new subject suggest that cr try to break off eye contact suggest that cr proceed to get up if he she is sitting and walk to another place cr might also try rummage through her handbag as if she remembered something cr could also pick up the newspaper or magazine and leaf through it or take out his her cell phone and go through his her text messages suggest that cr try to answer a question with a vague answer cr could learn to answer so what is your husband husband’s salary with the same as others in his position or oh he he’s doing just fine why don’t you ask him suggest cr take a deep breath and keep silent remind cr that no one can force him her to say something he she doesn’t want to let them keep asking again and again if they don’t get an answer they will hopefully take the hint and stop remind cr to demarcate boundaries when such people call on cr suggest that cr keep the rest of the house dark and limit their movement to the living room avoid giving them chances to move around near the bedrooms bathrooms closets or the kitchen — because if they do they’ll just get more fodder for their curiosity cr can keep new items he she has recently bought out of sight for the same reason suggest cr minimize social interaction cr could opt to only sparingly include such people on his her guest list so that cr sees them only as much as cr can handle the intention is to keep the relationship intact; since they are unable to change themselves they risk ruining their relationship with cr permanently if they meet cr too often it is best to keep house calls phone calls and social meetings with such people to a minimum that could be weekly monthly or the chance meeting; it depends on cr suggest that cr avoid showing too much interest when they gossip about others with cr if cr laps up the latest news they dish out about others cr ise not helping his her case – cr is worsening it when they start talking about others advise cr not to take interest apply the above tips to the conversation then as well suggest cr be upfront when all else fails just go ahead and tell them directly but tactfully that their curiosity turns cr off and cr would rather they did not ask cr such personal questions in time maybe they’ll appreciate the favor cr did them advise cr not to be rude because if he she is they will just gossip about cr’s outburst to others

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Personal, Social

Information: From the telephone book look under support groups or nicotine anonymous

References: how to deal with nosy people by sadaf farooqi no date available at www howtodothings com

Keywords: Nosey conversation communication tactful avoiding difficult people changing the subject

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Avoid correcting cr for example avoid saying sally you don’t have any little babies you are 85 your babies are all grown up try saying sally tell me about your babies

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Communication, Personal, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: using validation therapy to manage difficult behaviors by jan allen no date available at www alzwell com

Keywords: Confused time warp memory loss children

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed