Try: Assess the cr for situations that trigger aggression not patterns same time each day during certain activities like bathing or dressing create a safe room for example a bedroom with only a bed and a dresser wall to wall carpet lighting from above with a dimmer switch room to pace remove lamps mirrors pictures with frames and anything that can be dangerous cover wall plugs set up a baby monitor to pipe soft music into the room when cr becomes aggressive move behind him or her put your arms around the cr cr’s waist gently and firmly guide him or her from the area that triggered the reaction move him or her to the safe room for a short period provide active activities followed by quiet times ease transitions between activities with calm simple directions

Materials: n/a

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Safety

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: # arrange participants chairs in a circle # music leader starts with a xylophone or other single-note instrument in the key of c and begins to play it in time and sing row row row your boat or similar one chord song # prompt others to participate by passing the xylophone key to the next person in the circle and let them play # the music leader then plays the e note on time with the song starting a second round the instruments are then passed again # the music leader then plays a g note forming a c chord when all three keys are struck simultaneously and plays it in time with the music while the third round sings # continue passing instruments until everyone has had a chance to play # other community songs that can use this method include are you sleeping bother john dip dip dip dip and my paddle paddle’s keen and bright or find another song that appeals to the crs interests and use the musical notes to help them feel like they are more actively participating

Materials: List of songs having only one chord list of songs having no more than 2 chords individual xylophone keys with 1 mallet per key or some other instrument that makes a single note

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Leisure, Memory, Somewhat Aware, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: #the frog and the aquarium can be found at a pet or fish store # chat with the cr about the things in life that have made him or her feel needed and important if children or pets are a part of that the conversation can lead to the pleasures of watching and caring for a living being # ask if the cr would be willing to take care of a small pet for a few weeks for you tell him or her you would help remember what needs to be done to care for this pet # find a good place to put the small aquarium where the water temperature will stay relatively constant keep the calendar and pen nearby # show the cr the feeding schedule and teach him or her how to make sure the frog has enough food each day # help the cr mark the calendar each day after the frog is fed to ensure that it gets enough food # two weeks later show the cr how to empty three-quarters of the water out of the tank and fill it back up with clean water

Materials: Large open-mouthed vase or 4x4x6 inch plastic aquarium marking pen and calendar small table or space on a counter african dwarf frog and food for it

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Social, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory

Information: The adult african dwarf frog is about the size of a thumbnail it never needs to get out of the tiny aquarium at various times especially when it is comfortable and well fed it makes a soft high pitched chirp that is pleasurable to hear

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: #encourage the cr to use the bathroom before the foot bath so the soak won’t be interrupted #seat the cr in a comfortable chair with adequate arm rests #place the tub so the cr’s feet can rest comfortably inside it #fill the plastic tub with enough warm water to cover the cr’s feet and ankles #test the water with your hand before the cr’s feet are soaked #add a small amount of liquid soap and 3 tablespoons of epsom salts to the water #soak feet for approximately 20 minutes #don’t use epsom salts without a doctor’s permission if the cr is diabetic

Materials: Comfortable chair epsom salts plastic tub feet fit in comfortably warm water liquid soap

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Some Supervision

Information: Warming the feet and ankles can improve circulation throughout the body including the brain thereby reducing pressure in the cranial blood vessels which in turn may reduce headache pain women and the elderly are often prone to magnesium deficiency especially in the summer time and magnesium deficiency can lead to a sense of heavy tiredness epsom salts contain magnesium that can be absorbed through the feet during a warm soak

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: #ask or help the cr to look at the watch and begin breathing slowly encourage the cr to take one full breath every 15 seconds this means taking seven or eight seconds to breathe slowly in and seven or eight seconds to breathe slowly out #prompt the cr to breathe air in and out from the diaphragm the cr may understand better if directed to breathe from the lower chest or stomach #continue the exercise until the cr feels calmer look for signs of relaxation less facial tension lower tone of voice less agitation or ask every few minutes if the cr feels more relaxed #slow and thoughtful breathing may help the cr relax in as little as two minutes but it may be relaxing for the cr to sit quietly for fifteen to twenty minutes #if the cr can’t see the second hand or has trouble keeping track of time the caregiver can watch the clock and cue the cr to breathe slowly in and slowly out

Materials: A watch with a hand that measures seconds

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Immobile, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Good Verbal Comm, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: #read literature or watch dvds to help the Care recipient (cr) understand the physical risks of drinking alcohol interferes with some medications may affect sleep and harm verbal communication memory coordination etc long term abuse can cause brain and organ damage #

Materials: Caregiver literature dvd nurse or physician

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision

Information: About alcohol abuse can be found at libraries hospitals clinics treatment centers or doctors’ offices the danger of mixing alcohol with certain medications is written on pill bottles and pharmacy hand-out sheets #if alcohol interferes with medication or otherwise poses a risk ask a trusted doctor or nurse to explain the medical risks to the cr #monitor alcohol use and look for alcohol in hidden stashes or containers that are designed to hold non-alcoholic beverage #drinking habits may be tied to family or cultural traditions and remain socially acceptable to friends and family discuss limiting alcohol use in medical terms not judgmental ones information

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: One day a week help the cr pick out clothing for the next seven days make sure there is time to make choices at an easy pace place one day’s outfit with a plastic bag putting all the accessories and underwear needed to complete the outfit in the bag loop the bag handles or hole-punch the bag so the bag slides over the hanger hang each day’s clothing on a separate hanger with the matching plastic bag punch a hole in each paper plate and use each plate as a hanger tag showing the day of the week the outfit is to be worn

Materials: Seven paper plates one for each day of the week with a different day printed clearly and boldly on the plate seven large ziplocking plastic bags or plastic grocery bags hole punch hangers

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Personal, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: If the cr tends to be agitated in the morning you may find the task of dressing easier if you have picked out the clothes for the day in advance

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: # interview immediate family and work to keep them involved in cr cr’s life in order to make transition to assisted living as easy as possible # set up a calendar with the cr that shows family activities birthdays travel plans and other relevant events # encourage the family to take pictures of various events and share them with the cr i e track meets ball games etc # ask the cr about events and help him or her anticipate events and remember to buy cards etc so that the cr remains in constant contact with family # encourage the family to write a journal each week which includes one thing each member of the family wanted the cr to know

Materials: Family involvment pictures of family events calendar to record family activities

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Socialization, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: # for a group of men try reading the sports section out loud talk about specific points such as asking about the quarterback this will often be enough to get a conversation started # for a mixed group read significant events in the newspaper such as an article about the president this often gets conversation going very quickly # the procedure should appear natural # try to follow this procedure often over time to get regular dinnertime or leisure time conversation brewing

Materials: Newspaper staff member who can read it out loud

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Leisure, Socialization, Good Verbal Comm, So-So Verbal Comm

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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

Try: Use the acronym pain to remember what to ask p – pattern what causes the pain what makes it worse what makes it better a – area location is it occurring in more than one location i – intensity use pain scales to rate the pain n – nature ask for words such as sharp burning throbbing cramping etc ask about other symptoms such as nausea sweating and dizziness

Materials: Pain number scale 1-10 with 10 being the worst facial expression scale smiling to crying

Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medication Mgt, Safety, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

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