TIPS AND TRICKS

I am always discovering new ways to make life easier and less confusing for me. I will be adding to these tips as I discover them.

SHOWERING
Showering tends to overload my brain.......the onslaught of the water on my body...and the noise.
I’ve discovered I can sit on a shower chair...in the tub....out of range of the water....and slowly put each body part under the spray. I also wear ear plugs during the shower. I have removed all the various containers of soaps, body washes, shampoos and conditioners, which just got me confused. I now have one container sitting on the bathtub edge.....and I use it to shampoo with as well as wash my body.

ARRANGING CLOTHES
It is common knowledge a person with dementia has trouble making decisions. This became a real task when trying to dress each morning. I now have all my clothes hanging in sets.....a pair of slacks and a top to match....or a pair of shorts with a top. My undies are in one drawer and my socks are in another. So each morning....I just grab a pair of undies, a pair of socks and a coat hanger...which has a set of clothes on it. No decisions....and leaves my brain less confused for the rest of the day’s activities.

PRE-MIXED COFFEE
Since I’m the only coffee drinker in the house, I use instant coffee (I know...yuck eh?) I also use powdered whitener and packets of artificial sweetener. You would be surprised at how much brain power is required to open each container, spoon out the required amount, put the lid back on the right container, etc. I now have a lovely sealed bottle.... which I fill half full with whitener, the other half with coffee, and add 20 packets of sweetener to the mixture. Now when I want a cup of coffee...I just get one heaping tablespoonfull of the mixture and add boiling water.

MEDICATIONS

We have purchased 3 Dosett containers. These have 7 days, with 4 compartments in each day. Every three weeks we fill up the Dosetts. Jim has installed an alarm clock on my laptop (which is usually within hearing distance), and we have my pill times programmed into the alarm clock. Jim also has these pill times programmed into his computer, and double checks that I remembered to take my pills when the alarm went off!


BRAIN RESTS

I've found after each task I set myself to, that if I sit quietly for even half an hour, my brain will recuperate....the fog will clear. I go at each task slowly...step by step....and usually can get through it fine.