Try: Assign a family member or responsible person that the cr trusts to take over monthly bill payment assure the cr that the bills will be paid and taken care of by the designated bill payer assure the cr that he or she has sufficient money to pay the bills and continue with the same standard of living remove stress triggers from the cr’s view for example checkbook bank statements old bill invoices reminder notes to pay bills income tax returns and so on contact the cr’s bank and make arrangements for the designated bill payer to have access to the cr’s accounts set up auto pay for as many of the bills as possible if auto pay is used the bill is paid directly out of the cr’s account and there is no need to write a check the bill payer would continue to get copies of the bills on auto pay either in paper form or electronically the bills that are not on auto pay should be re-routed to the designated bill payer contact the utility companies medical care providers credit card company and other providers to make the necessary arrangements change the mailing address for the bills and so on no two providers will be the same in this regard so be patient and go through official channels the change of address forms may come in handy during this process the bill payer may want to consider using some form of accounting software for personal finances such as quick books or quicken this may make it easier to keep the cr’s checkbook up to date and reconcile the account on a monthly basis the bill payer may also want to consider using online banking this may make it easier to keep track of everything access the funds and transfer funds among different accounts the bill payer may also be the person designated to assemble the

Materials: List of regular bills that are currently being received by the cr cr’s bank information change of address order form from the u s post office this is available online at www usps com

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Financial, Maintenance, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: For the cr’s income tax returns since he or she is already familiar with the cr’s finances and transactions during the year note the above arrangement is for situations where the cr has the mental capacity to handle his or her own financial affairs in situations where the cr is mentally incapacitated the caregiver may need to get a power of attorney for finances to get the legal authority to handle all of the cr’s financial affairs information

References: n/a

Keywords: Personal finance accounting cash inflows and outflows

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

Try: Sew fabric to pillow case or put the fabric on the pillow case with double sided tape arrange the pieces of fabric side by side so that there a different kinds of textures next to each other place the pillow in the case place the pillow in cr’s lap or on the table where sitting gently take cr’s hand and guide over the different textures this can be very soothing to a cr in need of comfort

Materials: Pillow case strips or squares of different textured fabrics needle or thread or double-sided tape small or large pillow

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Sadness upset melancholy

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

Try: Take pictures of the cr’s place of residence before he or she moves tour the cr’s place of residence before he or she moves to see how it is decorated and find some familiar items that can be moved to the new location after the cr moves put the pictures in frames and place around the cr’s new room or living quarters this will allow the cr to see the pictures on a regular basis also decorate the cr’s new living quarters with familiar items from the cr’s former residence this will give the new living quarters a more home-like feeling

Materials: Picture frame digital or regular camera

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Upset about moving resistant to moving getting adjusted to a new community

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

Try: Take time to listen to cr talk and show that you care reassure cr that these feelings are normal and part of the aging process that everyone goes through talk to the cr like you would to any other adult avoid condescending and judgmental language this will not make things better for the cr make good eye contact and smile use positive non-verbal communication and voice tone including cr in discussions and decision making may provide him or her with a sense of control and improve self-image address any concerns or issues that you can with the cr help cr make an appointment to get hair cut and styled or get a makeover help the cr pick out some new clothes coordinate clothing in the closet so that it is easy to wear matching outfits a pen can be used to label matching items with a number letter or symbol ensure that cr has enough personal hygiene items available use them on a regular basis help cr find activities or groups that provided enjoyment in the past encourage cr to take up new hobbies or try something that he or she has always wanted to do

Materials: Phone book pen

Categories: Emotional Psychological

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Low self-esteem lacking confidence insecure

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

Try: Purchase a picture to hang on the wall of cr’s living quarters a picture of scenery from a calendar would work very well scenery would work better than pictures of other objects such as people or animals when cr is having a flash-back ask him or her to imagine that he or she is actually in the picture remind cr that nothing bad can happen in the picture he or she is perfectly safe there ask cr to describe what it is like in the picture for example warm cool can you feel a breeze can you smell the flowers ask cr what he or she is doing in the picture ask cr if anyone is there in the picture with him or her reassure cr again that no one can hurt him or her there after cr has done this with assistance several times he or she may be able to do it on own with a simple verbal prompt such as go to your picture or go to your safe place

Materials: Picture to hang on the wall of cr’s living quarters

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Hallucinations imagination bad dreams

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

Try: Set limits on where and when the cr can discuss health problems for example make meal time off limits for discussion of health problems offer reassurance and regular doctors visits find ways to distract the cr from focusing on health problems this could be through activities like reading table games arts and crafts or any other activity that the cr enjoys encourage the cr to stay healthy by exercising on a regular basis and eating nutritious meals if possible try to reason with the cr reasoning with the cr may be difficult or impossible however it is well worth a shot you will never know until you try tactfully explain that many people that the cr talks to on a regular basis get tired of hearing about all of his or her health problems all of the time tell the following joke to the cr don’t tell anyone about your problems 90 of them don’t want to hear it and the other 10 are glad to hear it another joke there once was a man who told everyone he met about how sick he was however no one believed him when the man died his tombstone was engraved with i told you i was sick explain that while these jokes may be funny there is a lot of truth in them if the cr insists on continually discussing of health problems encourage him or her to try to keep the subject generic rather than specific many individuals feel compelled to discuss every intricate detail about doctors visits operations and hospital stays many caring friends and family are genuinely interested in getting a brief update they just don’t want lengthy discussions of everything going on the same hold true for prayer requests sent to the cr’s pastor and church family

Materials: n/a

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Social, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Hypochondria hypochondriac complaining aches and pains

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

Try: Talk to the cr about transportation options to find out what is most ideal for him or her talk about that has worked and what has not worked in past transport situations get specific

Materials: Different types of vehicles to experiment with car van cross-over or larger

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Social, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: About the type of vehicle seat belts and seat adjustments ease getting in and out and so on accommodate the cr’s p

References: Where possible practice with the cr pick a day with good weather and park the vehicle on a flat skid-free surface talk through technique with the cr and demonstrate yourself the movements that the cr should do break the process down step by step practice entering and exiting the vehicle with the cr short practice times are best for example get into the vehicle break exit the vehicle and call it a day try it again tomorrow assist with walkers medical equipment and seatbelts so the cr doesn’t get stressed out over these things make the cr as comfortable as possible plan an outing with the cr encourage him or her to choose a favorite destination invite the cr multiple times if needed and offer different departure times throughout the day reward the cr with positive verbal cues and congratulate him or her on meeting the goal of riding in a vehicle again offer to drop the cr off at the entrance door of the building give the cr control over when to leave the event so that he or she does not feel trapped information references

Keywords: Unsociable afraid of cars uncomfortable in cars

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

Try: Try to get cr to engage in conversation and activities that will invoke fond memories of her children use the children children’s real names when talking to cr ask cr to match up the socks and put back in basket ask cr to fold diapers and put back in basket ask cr to smooth out the bibs and put back in basket other potential discussion topics that may help with depression ask cr about her memories of wash day and how she would hang the clothes outside on a clothes line ask cr about memories of ironing clothes and how she starched pillow cases and her husband husband’s shirts

Materials: The following items can be obtained at local garage sales they do not need to be new wooden clothes basket baby and small size socks cloth diapers bibs

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Social, Female

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Depression the blues lethargic reminiscing memories

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

Try: Try offering cr his her medications first thing in the morning when he she is still a little groggy and cooperative for those meds that can be given on no food at that time have everyone in the household take his her own pills even if it it’s just a vitamin together at the same time to normalize pill-taking and reinforce the habit try not to nag cr but do point out the benefits of each drug

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Independence, Some Supervision

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from www caring com how to handle difficult behaviors by f paula spencer scott no date

Keywords: Medicine meds medication

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

Try: Look for a trigger does pacing happen at a certain time of day if it happens in late afternoon it may be the result of boredom does it occur when certain people are around or certain events such as bath time are underway that may flag anxiety consider going for walks together playing music and dancing or finding other forms of physical activity to help cr channel restless energy make sure favored pathways are clear of clutter or scatter rugs that can lead to tripping or accidental falls

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Independence, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from www caring com how to handle difficult behaviors by f paula spencer scott no date

Keywords: Pacing paces restless agitated anxious

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