Best products from r/Alzheimers

We found 35 comments on r/Alzheimers discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 48 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/Alzheimers:

u/applesangria · 6 pointsr/Alzheimers

This is really sweet. Alzheimer's affects not only memory, but how the brain functions, processes info and sensory input, and decreases overall function and cognition. It can create a lot of anxiety and agitation.

It depends on how advanced she is. I'm really impressed she can do cross words! Definitely encourage that. Get her a book of them, so she doesn't have to wait for the ones in the paper.

  • Photo albums, whether physical or digital picture frame.

  • Plants to brighten up her room.

  • A fish tank can be great stimulation, and they're low maintenance.

  • If she is the nurturing sort, a baby doll and/or lifelike stuffed animal may be nice and comforting.

  • She can look through books of photography (something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Ireland-Visual-Journey-Around-Counties/dp/0717157431/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452635395&sr=8-4&keywords=Photography+Ireland), for something she used to be interested in.

  • A fiddle box, filled with little items and trinkets that she might like (decorative little makeup mirrors, a pretty ribbon, embroidered handkerchief, etc)

  • get a big bag of buttons, have her sort them by color or shape

  • Nature documentaries, as they don't have a plot but are very pretty and visually stimulating

  • Audio books, if she likes being read to

  • Pandora station (make one) with music from her teenage years, adolescence, adulthood. If she had a favorite singer or group, play that.

  • if she is/was religious, church on TV or audio casts/pod casts (something like Joel Osteen, etc)

    Find out from family and friends what she used to enjoy doing, and head in that direction.
u/Myfeelingsarehurt · 2 pointsr/Alzheimers

This is a terrible disease and I'm so sorry you and your family are going through this. Home is generally more comfortable and easier on the person with Alzheimer's/dementia , but can't be done without support eventually.

To the best of my knowledge medicare will not pay for year round home health care. They will pay for it when needed for a nurse (normally involving injuries that need dressing), physical therapy after a fall, occupational therapy, or speech therapy. Medicare also limits the amount of visits for these annually. Medicaid (for lower income) often will pay for home health so it's worth checking to see if she qualifies.

If your mother or a spouse of hers was in the military she may qualify for assistance from the Veterans Affairs office which can include money to pay for help, as well as home health workers. While this is somewhat based on her income and service of the veteran, they allow you to "back out" any medical costs before declaring income making many qualify.
It's a headache to set up, and can take months but can make a huge difference.

Check ALZ.org for local groups as some towns have day trip groups and other things that can add excitement to her life as well as adult day care etc. eldercare.gov may be of help as well.

I also recommend setting up a network of friends and family. Yours, hers, neighbors etc. I sent out an frantic blanket email at a really difficult time asking for people who would be willing to give me a soft commitment to see my S.O. Who has Alzheimer's once a month and stay for an hour or two. I try to stagger them so there is one per week, he gets visitors, I get time away and there are extra people to notice changes.

If she has not been diagnosed yet it might be worth it to apply for long term care insurance before having the official diagnosis. She may not get it or it may been insanely expensive, but unless she lives with family she is most likely going to assisted living (medicare doesn't cover at all) before being ill enough to qualify for a nursing home (may not be a nice place). The financial costs of this disease are staggering and long term care insurance would be handy if possible.

Eventually you will probably want a formal diagnosis as it may help doctors to provide and agree on the most effective treatments. Just to prepare you the most effective treatments are not very effective in my experience , but for all I know they have made a huge difference in the way things have turned out for us as I can't compare it to no treatment.

When my SO was first diagnosed we used this pill dispenser. It rotates so only that doses pills are available and beeps until it is turned over so the pills come out. It's not foolproof but it worked for us. I bought a bowl that looked like none of our other ones and would check it to make sure pills weren't there. The clear lid lets you see skipped doses that were not dumped. Now I use it to keep me from forgetting to give a dose! (I don't work for any product I post here and get nothing from suggesting them)

Medalerts are also helpful for people living alone or left alone for periods of time. We used one from a company that monitored it for a time (life alert) but after many accidental alerts and ambulances showing up we switched to this one which is basically a base with speaker and mic that plugs into a landline and a pendant with speaker and mic that acts like a cordless phone. When pushed the button is set to call 4 programmed numbers and if no one answers it will dial 911. No monitoring fees, No false alarms since and when it's not urgent I can talk to him and calm him down while I make my way to him. When it is urgent I can hang up with him and call 911 for him and give actual information such as address medications etc.

When we were hit with this I was shocked that medicare didn't cover assisted living, as well as many other things. I still can't believe that a disease that is the 6th cause of death in the US has very little in the way of a social net. Please reach out here or PM me any time even if you just need to scream into the void.

u/calicoan · 5 pointsr/Alzheimers

I would post on /r/findareddit, asking for a hair advice reddit.

Be as descriptive as you can of her hair texture - In the world of hair care, there can be pretty distinct differences in techniques and products depending on texture.

My only experience is with horses - I've successfully detangled manes and tails many times. The product I've used is Cowboy Magic Detangler & Shine. It's an oil type "finishing" product, smells nice, works really well, and a good quality product that overall helps hair. If you search Amazon for "hair oil", you'll see lots of similar products for people.

As for technique, the one thing that's really helped me is just leaving it in overnight. Of course, with horses, you don't have sheets and blankets and pillows and mattresses to consider! So maybe with your mil, apply in the morning, planning to do detangling in the evening. Anyway, main point is, when I would saturate, and then immediately go to work with a brush, I wouldn't get very far. But when I would saturate, then come back the next day with a brush, I could get tangles out pretty easily.

Anyway, hope that helps, good luck!

Edit -

I'm going to second /u/justmerc 's suggestion - My son had long hair when he was a kid, and I would do that very thing, just slather on the conditioner in the bath, comb it easily, then rinse thoroughly.

u/smellygymbag · 6 pointsr/Alzheimers

Ditto checking out your local dept on aging. It might also be dept of elderly or eldercare or something like that. They may have info for you on website, in hardcopy, in person.. It varies by state. Some will have waitlists for help, some wont.

You can also find out if theres an Alzheimer's Association, Aarp, or similar near you, because they sometimes have free education seminars (sometimes to advertise services, but sometimes just info). Alz assoc also has support groups, which maybe you could use, for emotional support but also to find out about options near you. If there are care homes near you they sometimes host educational events there too. You could see if they have some kind of events calendar.

You might consider learning about elderlaw issues and getting an elderlaw lawyer. No doubt there will be free workshops featuring those. But theres a great deal of financial planning you may have to do, and sometimes you need stuff set up years in advance.

Finally, if there is a law school near you, they might have free information or downloadable publications to get you started. If you are really lucky maybe they have low cost options for law help bc they might have fresh students who need experience.

The classic text on Alzheimer's is the 36 Hour Day. https://www.amazon.com/36-Hour-Day-Alzheimer-Disease-Dementias/dp/1455521159
Tbh i never read it. But i know its like standard reading.

Get started on getting a lot of photos and videos and recordings of her. Its easy to not even think of this now. But id start now.

Ask her questions about what advice shed give you about stuff in your future, your life.. Ask about her past, her parents, her childhood.

If shes got old photos, find out about them. Its kind of a bummer to find an old album of people you don't know and have no one to ask. :p

Find out her favorite songs. Id be sure to get stuff from her teens to 30s. Try to compile at least 1 playlist. It may be helpful later, if shes in a bad mood.

If you wanna get really nuts you can look up clinical trials on trialmatch or clinicaltrials.gov and see if you feel like jumping in.

Don't beat yourself up if/when its time to make tough calls. This disease will put you guys in lose-lose situations, but you're not alone. It's going to suck, but you and dad and family can get through this.

Good luck.

u/seagazer · 1 pointr/Alzheimers

I hope you find someone your own age to connect with. This subreddit is so tiny, though — I'm surprised since Alzheimer's affects so many people. Another way you can find support would be to visit the Alzheimer's Association website, which includes message boards and a search tool to find your local chapter. You also might want to read some books to better understand what the Alzheimer's patient is going through, and how caregivers can help most effectively. A good one that was recommended by our neurologist is The 36-Hour Day.

Congratulations for achieving some success in addressing your own problems, and it's wonderful that you've decided to become a part of your mom's life again. She may seem "totally gone," but I'm sure at some level she will appreciate your being there, especially since you are the one she has felt most comfortable with in the past. Also, being there will give you the opportunity to evaluate the kind of care your dad, your aunt, and the healthcare people are able to give, and see where you can help.

u/6beesknees · 2 pointsr/Alzheimers

Sounds even more like my MiL - who is also a private tenant in a 'independent living' small block of flats run by a private group. She has a little in savings, from selling a very small house in a not particularly affluent area. This money means that Social Services will back off, effectively walk away if they can be persuaded, or can persuade themselves, that the client is 'safe'.

Getting onto an LA or HA waiting list depends quite a lot on SS assessments, and also the 'need' and availability. If a place has x-places for people with dementia they won't take any more until one tenant moves on. Same with other 'disabilities', because they're meant to provide care for a whole range of elderly (over age 55) needs. As an example, my MiL is on a waiting list, she knows she's on a waiting list, will never know that she will never get to the top of that waiting list because a) her Alzheimer's is now 'too bad' and b) she is still self-funded - so SS put her to, and keep her at, the bottom of the list. We don't actually think she'd cope with a move to a new flat, would forget where everything is and would end up in even more of a muddle than she is now.

We have carers every morning, to make sure she takes her medication and to do any other tasks she wants doing including helping her bathe. She complains that they sit and drink tea, but will not ask them to get out the vacuum cleaner because she tells them she can do it - but she can't, and won't. She tells them she's had a shower, but doesn't know how to use it. She won't let them do any laundry, and we suspect she's now hiding dirty clothes from us because there's never anything to bring away when we visit at the weekend. We had arranged a cleaner, but she got rid of her and they won't respond to messages from us, so goodness knows what she did to them.

The care package needs regular updating, probably every few weeks as we lurch from one small crisis to another. It's quite a challenge to get it right, especially when there's resistance from her. The carers let themselves in, using a key coded key safe a bit like this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medium-key-lock-Select-Access/dp/B000JTIX3S/ref=sr_1_5/257-2221811-7083553?ie=UTF8&qid=1518829535&sr=8-5&keywords=key+safes

Your chemist sounds amazing. That arrangement wouldn't work for us because my MiL doesn't know where the chemists is, even though it's less than 500 yards from her front door. She can't cross roads safely and won't admit to us that she can easily get lost.

Food and shopping - we too were 'told' that she could do her own shopping, and that she did her own shopping where she lived previously. We had to, frequently, do an emergency online shop because she'd phone us to say she'd got nothing to eat or drink.

After we moved her to be closer to us (breakdown if relationship between her and the family member she was near, and we're spread out around the country so it was a long distance move) it was clear that she was incapable of shopping on her own. She can't handle money, doesn't know her PIN, and the displays in supermarkets are visually confusing so she hadn't a clue what she was looking at. Writing a list didn't help, because she couldn't work out what was on the list and what was in the trolley. Given the freedom to chose she'd have bought only a small bunch of grapes, a pack of 6 rolls, a small carton of milk, and a pack of ham - for a week. Plus, of course, a few random things that she'd accuse 'somebody' of putting into the trolley - things she'd picked up because they looked pretty, but didn't then recall ever seeing them before. I managed, for a while, to persuade her to buy things to cook but the whole lot ended up being stuffed in the freezer because she cannot actually cope with using a cooker. She can still, just about, manage to use a kettle to make a cup of tea.

She now has meals on wheels, from Apetito, and also a teatime pack. https://www.apetito.co.uk/ It isn't brilliant food, by our standards, but it's there every day and means she gets a hot meal at lunchtime. The driver has the key safe code, so lets themself in.

She also goes, twice or three times a week depending on her mood, to a Day Centre where she's given lunch and eats in company - which is truly a blessing because it gives her the social interaction she wouldn't otherwise have.

We have, or should I say my husband and his siblings have, chosen not to take out the welfare POA because doing so takes pressure off the medical services and puts it squarely in their laps instead. It's also, according to the solicitor, quite hard to get these days.

All this seems like 'comparing notes', but I'm hoping there might be something useful in here for you and your Dad.

u/Piper1105 · 7 pointsr/Alzheimers

My mom is on her second neurologist (due to moving) and both have been good. They ordered the testing that was needed (MRI and others) and other support services (in her case physical and speech therapy).

Maybe the one your LO has just isn't a good fit? They mostly deal with medial issues concerning the brain. More practical advice concerning behavior might better come from a psychologist. Actually my own therapist has been great giving me some practical advice. I started therapy a few months ago to help me deal with my mom's dementia.

Also, you don't have to go to a doctor to test for a UTI, you can buy the test strips yourself on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Urinalysis-Reagent-Strips-Paramater-QTest/dp/B071XTRPPT/ref=sr_1_6?crid=37MRZZBNLF2V1&keywords=urine+test+strips&qid=1558282673&s=gateway&sprefix=Urine+%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-6

If your LO tests positive then maybe you could call primary care and have an antibiotic called in to the pharmacy? Just wondering if that would make things easier.

Also, I understand needing to rant. I feel like ranting on a daily basis. Dementia sucks, and I'm sorry you are going through this. Try to remember to also take care of you.

u/Lordica · 11 pointsr/Alzheimers

Incontinence- We've found the Abena diapers to work the best for us. If you need to keep her dry for longer periods, add booster pads. I also got a diaper genie type of trash can to handle the products and cut down on the odors. Puppy pee pads around the toilet will help with spills and splatter. An enzymic cleaner will help eliminate odors where accidents happen. Petco is a regular stop.

Self care- I find walk in fresh air and nature help. I also use the Insight Timer app to help me meditate before sleep and shut down the rat wheel.

Check your local chapter of the Alzheimers Association for resources you may be able to take advantage of.

Finally, there will likely come a time where she has to go to a facility for her own safety and your well-being. This is not a failure on your part. It doesn't make you a bad or unloving person. It is simply the reality of this awful disease. Unless you have the resources to hire people to come to your home to share the load it simply overwhelms any persons abilities.

u/renerdrat · 1 pointr/Alzheimers

no but there's a huge article about coconut oil and alzheimers on the internet, i'm sure there's plenty more now. the MCT oils in coconut oil fuel the brain very well.

You can actually buy pure MCT oil on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-100%25-32-Fluid-Ounces/dp/B0019LRY8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426579004&sr=8-1&keywords=mct+oil

If you want to even get something better look into "bulletproof" brand... they actually have a plethora of health products, anyway they have something called 'octane oil' it's basically 18x Stronger Than Coconut Oil. https://www.upgradedself.com/products/bulletproof-upgraded-brain-octane-oil

Anyway just thoguht I'd show you some alternatives to just coconut oil.

u/oosetastic · 3 pointsr/Alzheimers

Look into your local Alzheimer's Association - they have meetings for family members, as well as activities for the person diagnosed, depending on how severe their condition is. Click on the "in my area" tab to find your local chapter.

I also always recommend The 36 Hour Day - it's a great primer on what to expect, and it gives some advice on different options for paying for care. Good luck, and we are here for you and your dad!

u/Ras-Algethi · 1 pointr/Alzheimers

I've started reading The 36-Hour Day and it is a very good book for describing just about everything someone with Alzheimer's could go through. They describe this decline over and over as brain damage - sometimes connections work. Sometimes they don't - like a lightbulb with a faulty connection. The best advice I can give you is don't try to understand why they do what they do. Just roll with it, agree and play along. Best of luck OP. This is a long, hard, sucky road we're on.

u/olsondc · 1 pointr/Alzheimers

Creating Moments of Joy for the Person With Alzheimer's or Dementia 4th Edition by Jolene Bracke


This book was given to everyone in my caregivers support group and we found it very useful.

u/JanuaryEclipse · 2 pointsr/Alzheimers

I work in an assisted living facility and one of my previous residents spouse wrote this book http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Smell-Garbage-Caregivers-Survival/dp/1477574077 It is a candid account of a caregivers viewpoint of the disease. The more you learn about it the more sympathetic and empathetic you will become. Also links like https://www.facebook.com/FightAlzheimers provide more information.

u/Vashiebz · 1 pointr/Alzheimers

As someone in a similar situation to you I doubt any of the people saying you are a bad daughter know what they are talking about.

I would advise picking up the book The 36 hour day it is a fantastic guide to caring for someone with alzheimers. If you do not wish to pay for it you may be able to pick it up at the library.

https://www.amazon.com/36-Hour-Day-Alzheimer-Disease-Dementias/dp/1455521159

Also as a stop gap measure her insurance should be able to provide for a home health aid through patterns in care, personal touch or various other agencies.

Please keep us all informed so we may help you on the journey.

u/overprogrammed · 3 pointsr/Alzheimers

My grandpa had a similar problem- he would forget that he had taken his meds and would take them again. There were multiple times where he overdosed and ended up in the hospital. I ended up getting him this dispenser and it has prevented overdoses for nearly 2 years. The lock is kind of a joke, but it's enough to convince grandpa that no one is taking his pills.

LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser, 28-Day Electronic Medication Organizer with Alarm Reminders, Flashing Light and Safety Lock - Dispenses Prescriptions Up To 6 Times Per Day - Clear Lid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FL620B0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5vUwybXRZXPJ9