Triple Your Impact This Holiday Season
Triple Your Impact This Holiday Season
Celebrate the holidays with a year-end gift that can go 3x as far to help provide care and support to the millions affected by Alzheimer's disease, and to advance critical research. But please hurry — this 3x Match Challenge ends soon.
Donate NowFor individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, maintaining their independence preserves a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Activities like cooking, or keeping their own bedtime routine foster feelings of accomplishment and dignity. But when cognitive impairment interferes with their ability to perform tasks, safety can even become a concern.
For example, a lifelong cook who becomes more forgetful can create a fire risk if they forget to turn off the stove. How long can this go on before a change needs to be made? Because cognitive changes in dementia can be subtle, it may be difficult for caregivers to discern when it's time to intervene.
As executive function declines, folks with dementia become increasingly vulnerable to consequences of poor judgment and may struggle to understand boundaries and social cues. They may resist new routines and rules designed to help keep them safe.
Learning how to provide support while maintaining consistent expectations can help caregivers balance safety with their loved one's desire for independence. Understanding when and how to make these shifts in autonomy may make the change more appealing--and understandable--as cognitive changes occur.