http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog Denver, Colorado Elder Law Attorneys Committed To Helping Your Loved Ones Get The Care They Deserve While Legally Protecting Their Assets Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:51:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Humans have the amazing capacity to intuitively process, comprehend, and respond to nonverbal cues in their environment. In fact, when engaging in a conversation with another person, your nonverbal language often speaks much louder than your words. Beyond our vocabulary, which at time feels inadequate or restricting when we are attempting ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/what-do-i-do-when-my-words-seem-to-fail-me/ The ability to effectively communicate is vital to any relationship. However, when you are caring for a person with Alzheimer's, communication can become more challenging. When a person has Alzheimer's, the disease affects both their ability to process new information and to verbally communicate. This, in turn, can result in ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/how-can-i-improve-my-communication-skills-and-minimize-conflict-and-agitation/ While frequent or intense agitation threatens to place a substantial strain on the relationship between an individual with dementia and their caregiver, many professionals working in geriatrics would urge us to think of that agitation, not as an irrational impediment, but as a behavior that is rooted in legitimate ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/what-can-i-do-to-gain-a-better-understanding-of-my-loved-one%e2%80%99s-agitation/ Agitation is a common place phenomenon in many of our daily lives. We experience it while we are stuck in traffic, at the office, and in our homes. However, fortunately for us, we are often able to identify this feeling and cope with it in a (hopefully) constructive way. But, ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/my-loved-one-with-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-disease-is-experiencing-a-lot-of-agitation-could-this-be-caused-by-their-medication/ It can be quite difficult to find good information on Pick's disease. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes Pick's disease as a type of dementia characterized by progressive deterioration of cognition and social skills. This is accompanied by intellectual and lingual impairment as well as the deterioration ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/where-can-i-go-to-find-more-information-on-pick%e2%80%99s-disease/ Many individuals who have been diagnosed with Down's syndrome are living longer and fuller lives than would have been imaginable in past decades. However, as those with Down's syndrome are living longer, a rise in the number Alzheimer's cases among these individuals has also been recorded.  Regardless of your loved ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/how-can-i-better-care-for-a-loved-one-who-has-both-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-disease-and-down%e2%80%99s-syndrome-how-should-i-respond-to-their-behavioral-changes/ If it is at all possible, you should discuss this question directly with your loved one. If they are still able to rationally make their own decisions, ask for their input and carefully consider their thoughts, emotions, and ideas relating to this topic. Consider visiting your loved one in person ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/what-is-the-best-environment-for-a-person-who-is-experiencing-the-early-stages-of-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-should-they-continue-to-live-on-their-own-or-would-it-be-better-for-them-to-move-closer-to-relat/ The term "sundowning" relates to the tendency of those with Alzheimer's to experience increasing levels of confusion as the day progresses. While the physiological cause of this phenomenon is not yet understood, there are some external cues that are believed to elicit the symptoms of "sundowning." These cues involve fatigue, ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-%e2%80%9csundowning%e2%80%9d/ In order to answer this question, we must again remind ourselves that the stages and symptoms of Alzheimer's are unique to the individual experiencing them. Different people with the disease will progress at different rates and experience different symptoms. While symptoms such as memory loss and feelings of frustration, fear, ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/is-it-common-for-a-person-who-is-experiencing-the-early-stages-of-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-disease-to-begin-losing-their-ability-to-verbally-communicate/ This is yet another issue that has been the subject of some debate. While there are many professionals who strongly believe that a person with Alzheimer's should be made aware of their condition as fully as possible, there are other professionals who argue that it would cause the individual too ... http://www.thehugheslawfirm.net/blog/alzheimers-disease/should-i-tell-my-loved-one-that-they-have-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-disease-and-how-should-i-relate-this-to-the-rest-of-the-family/