As seen on my YouTube video:

Emotional and Practical Support

Support Groups

Numerous Alzheimer’s-related support groups exist. Some of these are for caregivers, and others are for those who are suffering from dementia themselves. Usually, these latter groups are comprised of people who are in the early to middle stages of their cognitive decline. (For an overview of the various stages, read my article, HERE; or watch my video presentation, HERE.)

Alzheimer’s-specific support groups enable you to connect and share with other individuals and families that are going through similar experiences as you.

Family & Residential Councils

Unlike Alzheimer’s-focused groups, these groups help you to meet other families that have loved ones in skilled-care and other facilities. Not everyone will be dealing with dementia, but everyone in this group will share commonalities in terms of their living situation (or that of their loved one).

Bear in mind that nursing homes are required by federal law to support the creation of various family or residents’ councils. These groups, that can be as formal or informal as participants desire, enable

I will be releasing additional content on this subtopic in coming weeks. Be sure to check back to AlzheimersProof.com and to our YouTube channel!

Family Members, Friends, Neighbors, etc.

Don’t discount or neglect the value of those people who are in your own family or social network. Many times, you can mobilize their resources. Frequently, people are willing to help, but have no idea where to begin.

Additionally, you (or your loved one) may belong to various fraternal societies, religious groups (connected with churches, mosques, synagogues, and so on), or service organizations. There may be membership benefits that might assist you. And perhaps acquaintanceships or friendships have been formed that can be harnessed to bring relief.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Informational Support

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or some other, similar cognitive impairment requires getting up to speed with a lot of information. There are resources that can help make your learning curve a little less steep.

Libraries (& Written Material)

Librarians are often degreed researchers who have expertise in locating resources. In some cases, they are quite adept at unearthing arcane or hard-to-find information.

And they charge nothing for their services! Take advantage of their expertise!

Additionally, there are numerous books, journals, magazines, and videos that can help you to get a better understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as to get a better handle on the range of interventions that are available. And… you don’t have to pay for these materials if you can check them out of your local library.

True, some resources may not be right on the shelves when you walk in. But, ask a knowledgeable librarian to check availability through inter-library loan. You can often obtain most (if not all) resources that way.

See my more complete resource list (HERE) for book titles in a variety of categories including academic, alternative-medical, biographical, children/juvenile, general-informational, herbal, inspirational, (traditional) medical and pharmaceutical, and even photographic/pictorial books for cognitively impaired seniors.

So… Don’t hesitate to pay a visit to your local library.

But, to get you off to a good start on written material, check out the free, informational, .pdf-formatted downloadables — collected over the years from various websites — in the following section.

Websites

In the so-called Information Age, we have become accustomed to accessing data with a series of mouse clicks. The internet truly contains a wealth of relevant material. The real trouble is sifting through it and validating its accuracy.

There are numerous, well-respected websites that can assist you. Here are just a few that you can check out.

Miscellaneous Websites Dealing With Alzheimer’s Disease (Summary List)

Although I won’t repeat the list, bear in mind that some of the support groups (mentioned and linked to in section 1, above) also are repositories of helpful facts.

.PDF Downloads

Finally, you can often uncover free and helpful informational downloads, in the form of Adobe .pdf and other files.

For example, here are several that I located that you might also find enlightening or useful. (Click the links titled “FREE” to download.)

  • 2018 Facts and Figures, report, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • 2019 Facts and Figures, report, Alzheimer’s Association (FREE)
  • Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations, Suzanne Meeks, et al., eds., Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • “Alzheimer’s Association Recommendations for Operationalizing the Detection of Cognitive Impairment During the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit in a Primary-Care Setting,” Cyndy Cordella, Soo Borson, Malaz Boustani, Joshua Chodosh, David Reuben, Joe Verghese, William Thies, and Leslie Fried, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, vol. 9, 2013, pp. 141-150. (FREE)
  • Alzheimer’s Disease and Attention: An Investigation Into the Initial Stage of Information Processing, Andrew Houtz, PhD Dissertation, Univ. of North Texas, 1990. (FREE)
  • Alzheimer’s Disease: A Status Report, Agnes Heinz, American Council on Science and Health, 1990. (FREE)
  • Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease, pamphlet, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • Behaviors, pamphlet, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • Beta-Amyloid and the Amyloid Hypothesis, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • “Biomarkers for Dementia Detection and Research,” National Institute on Aging, Fact Sheet. (FREE)
  • Cognitive Impairment Care-Planning Toolkit, pamphlet, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • Communication, pamphlet, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • Dementia Care Practice: Recommendations for Assisted-Living Residences and Nursing Homes, Phase 2, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • Dementia Care Practice: Recommendations for Assisted-Living Residences and Nursing Homes, Phase 3: End-of-Life Care, Alzheimer’s Association, 2007. (FREE)
  • End-of-Life Decisions: Honoring the Wishes of the Person With Alzheimer’s Disease, pamphlet, Alzheimer’s Association, 2006. (FREE)
  • Dementia Care Practice: Recommendations for Professionals Working in a Home Setting, Phase 4, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • Dracocephalum Moldavica L. and Melissa Officinalis L.: Chemistry and Bioactivities Relevant in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy, Keyvan Dastmalchi, Helsinki: Univ. of Helsinki, 2008. (FREE)
  • End-of-Life Decisions, pamphlet, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • “The Latest in Alzheimer’s-Disease Research,” Bruno Giordani, Alzheimer’s Association, Power Point presentation slides, 2018. (FREE)
  • Quality End-of-Life Care for Individuals With Dementia in Assisted-Living and Nursing Homes and Public Policy Barriers to Delivering this Care, Jane Tilly and Abel Fok, Aug., Alzheimer’s Association, 2007. (FREE)
  • Supporting Caregivers: A Healthy Brain Initiative Issue Map, Alzheimer’s Association. (FREE)
  • “‘They Want Docile’: How Nursing Homes in the United States Overmedicate People with Dementia,” Human Rights Watch, February 5, 2018. (FREE)
  • “Tools for Early Identification, Assessment, and Treatment for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia,” Alzheimer’s Association, 1997. (FREE)
  • U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Confused Minds, Burdened Families: Finding Help for People With Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias, OTA-13A-403 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, July 1990). (FREE)
  • The Volunteer’s Guide to the Purple Sherpa, The Purple Sherpa. (FREE)

Miscellaneous

Other resources include various “Webinars” (i.e., internet-driven seminars) and informational “Summit Conferences” bring together individuals with a wide array of backgrounds. Many of these deliver presentations that can be thought provoking. They can point out new avenues for you to explore to locate possibly helpful information.

Sometimes, participants represent experimental or offbeat ideas. But, as an old navigational saying goes, you might want “any port in a storm.” And, without question, Alzheimer’s is a raging hurricane in many people’s lives.

Some past material includes the following.

  • Awakening From Alzheimer’s. (For my thoughts and summary, see HERE.)
  • Regain Your Brain. (This was a limited-time presentation from the folks in A, above.)
  • For various summits, see HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, or HERE. (These are also time sensitive. Some may be conducted yearly. A Google search under phrases such as “alzheimers summit conference [current year]” can help you to locate new ones.

Your Doctor

Your – or your loved one’s – physician is also a wealth of pertinent information. General practitioners or specialists (whether geriatric doctors or neurologists, etc.) are able to field an assortment of questions. Or, at the least, they can often point you in the right direction.

True, you probably pay “co-payments” and other fees when you visit your doctor. But, many health groups and medical offices now have call-in numbers and internet portals that enable you to ask questions at no additional cost to you. Someone on the office’s medical staff usually gets back to you in a matter of hours. And the information you receive is partly informed by your doctor’s knowledge of your family’s situation.

III. Monetary Support

Long-term care is expensive in general. And memory-related care (such as that needed for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia) is even more costly.

Many families ultimately have to turn to government assistance programs, such as Medicaid. A few have privately funded their own savings or paid into long-term-care insurance policies. (For more on the latter, see my article, HERE.)

But, before resorting to these, other people are seeking alternatives sources of money. Therefore, many people are looking for ideas that may help them lessen their financial burdens. Here are a few places and things to look into.

‘BenefitsCheckup’

The National Council on Aging runs a website that is designed to help seniors (and others) find benefits that they may qualify for. This valuable website can be found at BenefitsCheckup.org.

Grant-Money Opportunities 

Another possibility is that you, whether as a caretaker or as a sufferer, may be eligible for some grant money. One place to start looking is HERE.

Crowdfunding 

In recent years, “crowdfunding” has become more and more popular. This is basically where you solicit little donations from a lot people. Many websites specialize in facilitating this.

As one last suggestion, Matthew Lesko has a number of books available, including Free Stuff For Seniors. (Click the title to check the current price on Amazon, using my affiliate link. Or… request it through an inter-library loan at your local library!)

For additional book and video resources, see my related pages enumerating:

Alzheimer’s-Related Book-and-Video Resources.