Are white boards with reminders, names dates etc helpful
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Hi Judah, I didn't read the thread Victoria referenced, but I would tell you that a whiteboard will only work in the very early stages, maybe stage 3 and into 4. My partner is in memory care and we put one up at the suggestion of her occupational therapist--but it doesn't help. She'll read it and have to concept what it means (she can still read). One of the things it says is when I will be there--for example, it will say "M will be here tomorrow/Tuesday"--and she'll look at me and say, who is M? So---not much help. Written words just don't mean much any more, and don't make the mental connection.
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Hi Judah,
I agree with M1. It really depends on where the person is in the disease progression. By the time she lived with me, my mom was forgetting to do things like take meds, clean out the fridge, etc. Conversations wth her were very circular as well, so pretty much no short term memory. A dry-erase board didn't work because it wasn't something she routinely used as a reference in the past. You really need to tie into prior habits, routines, and items to make things work. For a while one of those large digital memory clocks that shows the date/day/time was helpful. Mainly she would refer to the daily paper and preferred to mark up a small pocket-sized calendar or a monthly print out. This tracks with her usual habit of marking everything on a calendar pre-AD.
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My mom uses a monthly desk calendar. She will mark off days on it to know what today is …unless she forgets to do so. Which she does often, and is then confused.
In addition, she wants all their upcoming appointments on it. The problem with that is she then obsesses about the ones later in the month. Some people will tell you to just tell them about an appointment on the actual day. That would send my mom into a tizzy trying to get ready and my step-dad would refuse to go to any surprise appointments out of stubbornness
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Are you a caregiver hired by the family? What instructions have they given you?
Iris
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Maybe Alexa along with Lifepod? Looks interesting. https://www.griswoldhomecare.com/blog/2021/january/smart-home-assistants-for-seniors-amazon-alexa-g/
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IME Calendars + white boards were a waste of time. My mom could read both for me out loud at about stage 4-5 but did not comprehend what she was reading. It was very strange. After being in stage 5 for awhile, she ignored both.
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I had a white board up, it worked for a short time. We had a daily chart on it and I used an oversized calendar for dates and appointments. I no longer have the white board up because he would read and gloss right over what was on the board. We have an Amazon Alexa that has reminders for eating, drinking and taking meds. Alexa helps, but a lot of the time DH will thank Alexa and not do the action item with out prompting by me. I no longer use a paper calendar, and only let him know of the appointment the day before, We have an oversized clock that shows time, date, day and temp. It has been helpful.
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SDiane, what type of professional is used to come to the home and set up Alexa and these other communicators?
Iris
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I tried a white board and calendars with my mom. Waste of time. On her room camera one day I saw her remove the white board from the wall, carry it out the door with its magnets and memos, and dump it in the building trash across the hall. An Alzheimer's clock was another waste.
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I use a small easel white board with my mom. The key is to not put too much information too far in advance. She lives in AL with my dad who was recently hospitalized for a few days. They both have Covid. I wrote a very simple message that they have Covid and he was in the hospital. That way, when she asked me where he was I could say "read the note on the whiteboard". The staff at AL said it was really helpful for the days he wasn't around. I also left notes taped all over their unit with the same message.
I also use a "memory book" with her. Printed pages in protective sleeves in a binder with answers to questions she frequently asks. If I'm there and she tries making conversation by asking the same questions over and over again, I just hand her the book. It's very simple statements with photos and she loves seeing the photos.
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this might help. https://alexaforseniors.net/amazon-alexa-elderly-guide/
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SDiane, thank you for posting the Guide to Using Alexa for Seniors. I don't have Alexa now, but I will keep these instructions in mind for the future!
Iris
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Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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