Senior Helpers provides many in-home, caregiving services for the elderly in Southeast Michigan. We offer extensive in-home care services for seniors who embrace their independence and the personal dignity that goes with it. Our in-home care services are provided by bonded and insured caregivers all of whom pass a national background check. If a senior family member needs in-home care services in Franklin, Pontiac, South Lyon, Sterling Heights, Oak Park, Warren and surrounding areas, we are an excellent choice with exemplary references. In-home care is the compassionate choice for your elderly loved ones' continued independent living. We promise we will do our best to make it a positive experience for them and you. For more information, please visit: http://seniorhelpers.com/location/2601.

1. Senior Helpers In Home Elder Care of Southeast Michigan Answers
Part of Government’s Plan for War on Alzheimer’s
Caring for Seniors with Dementia
The federal government recently launched the new National Alzheimer’s Plan to find a cure for
Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. Part of that plan is to find ways for struggling families to better
cope with the disease, today. Senior Helpers and a dementia care expert are helping make the
government’s goal a reality with a program they created to help caregivers and families
better communicate with those with dementia.
The new program is called Senior Gems. It’s a step-by-step guide that teaches hands-on care
providers and families how to care for loved ones through each stage of dementia and
Alzheimer’s. There are several traditional scales used to describe the progression of Alzheimer’s
and dementia. Teepa Snow, a nationally renowned dementia care expert, has taken the Allen
Cognitive Disability Model, which focuses on what those with the disease are able to do, and
replaced the numbered levels with "gems." By using "gems," Teepa not only reminds us of how
precious our clients are, but also makes it easier to understand the progression of this disease.
“I'm thrilled with our government's new commitment to confront Alzheimer’s because it is
taking a devastating toll on families across America,” says Teepa Snow. "I certainly hope the
researchers, with the new governmental support, will find a cure by 2025. But until and unless
that happens, we can't just wait. Millions of people are living with various forms of dementia,
not just Alzheimer’s. We are taking action by training Senior Helpers caregivers and family
members in communities across the nation, how to better care for and communicate with our
loved ones who are doing the best they can while living with a progressive condition that is
robbing them of themselves.”
Quick Do's and Don'ts of Working With People Who Have Dementia:
• . . . . . .Offer Supportive NOT Confrontational Communication
• . . . . . .Emphasize what you want to have happen, NOT who’s the boss or who’s right
• . . . . . .Recognize the value of mistakes or ‘UH OHs’ - and turn them into new strategies and
‘AH HAs!’
• . . . . . .Provide short, simple information rather than asking questions you do NOT want to
hear the answer to
• . . . . . .Offer concrete and clear options or choices rather than wide open requests that
require both word-finding and decision-making to answer
Learn Do’s and Don’ts of Working With Alzheimer’s Patients:
Most seniors with Alzheimer’s can perform a task once they get started, but they may have
trouble initiating or switching tasks. Their abilities fluctuate from day to day, day to night,
person to person, and minute to minute. This makes it hard to exactly predict what they will or
will not be able to do. It means we, as caregivers, need to be flexible and supportive rather
than pointing out the errors and getting frustrated with the changing abilities.

2. Senior Helpers In Home Elder Care of Southeast Michigan Answers
Part of Government’s Plan for War on Alzheimer’s
Memory Failure
• . . . . . .If an Alzheimer’s patient forgets about a doctor’s appointment: Don’t say “How could
you forget? I told you three times!” This is frustrating for the senior to hear and puts them
on the defensive. Remember, caregiving is not about being right. Do say “I am sorry we
didn’t get things worked out ahead of time for that appointment… (pause).. I thought I had
said something about it, but I may not have. I will have to try to do a better job of making
sure that happens, next time.” This helps break the communication barrier and helps the
senior feel that you are on his/her side.
• . . . . . .Alzheimer’s patients can’t remember new information but old memories are still
intact. This is brain failure. Don’t tell your mother with Alzheimer’s to meet you at Macy’s at
the mall if it has moved to a new location. She will go to where Macy’s used to be – to what
is now JC Penny’s - because she can’t remember the new information that Macy’s has
moved. She may even drive around for hours trying to find Macy’s in the old location. Do
take your mother to the mall or hire a caregiver to take her. If you bring her there, she can’t
get lost.
Show and Tell
When you’re caring for a senior with dementia, it’s important to show them how to perform
everyday tasks instead of telling them how to do something. It’s called show-and-tell. Don’t pull
your dad with Alzheimer’s out of his seat and start leading him to the restroom. To him, that’s
forceful. Do, instead, show him with your hands and verbally tell him to stand up. Then, place
his hand in yours and walk along side of him (not in front of him). This shows him that you’re
guiding him with acceptance, and not forcing him to do something. Don’t put a glass of juice in
front of your dad’s mouth because he’ll become defensive, thinking you’re trying to force juice
down his mouth. Do take that glass of juice, while at his side (not in front of him), and with your
hand in his, bring it to his mouth. He will more likely welcome that gesture and not think you’re
“coming at him.”
“In any situation, it’s best to use empathy and validation rather than a reality check or lies. And
it’s vital that we act now because our families are suffering,” says Snow. “They don’t
understand the disease - and there’s no one to teach them. That’s why we started this
program; to give families answers and show them, in practical terms, how to improve the
quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients and themselves, through better communication.”
Did you know?
• . . . . . .More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and there is no cure. And
the number is expected to grow to 13 million in the next 15 years.
• . . . . . .Alzheimer’s is the most feared condition for elders. It replaced cancer in the last
survey.

3. Senior Helpers In Home Elder Care of Southeast Michigan Answers
Part of Government’s Plan for War on Alzheimer’s
• . . . . . .The annual cost of caring for one individual with Alzheimer’s disease ranges from
nearly $18,500 to more than $65,000, depending on the stage of the disease and the
setting.
• . . . . . .It’s a progressive brain disorder that’s the sixth leading cause of death in the United
States.
• . . . . . .The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease doubles every five years, beginning at age 65.
About Senior Gems: Senior Gems is a revolutionary program to help family members and
professional caregivers properly care for their aging loved ones through each stage of
dementia. Teepa Snow began developing her Gem Levels in 2006. In 2011, the Senior Gem
program was created with her guidance and assistance. This program puts Senior Helpers at the
forefront of individual and in-home dementia-specialized caregiving as they offer all of their in-
home companions and caregivers the opportunity to become dementia care certified through
the training program.
About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers provides many in-home, caregiving services for the elderly in Southeast
Michigan. We offer extensive in-home care services for seniors who embrace their
independence and the personal dignity that goes with it. Our in-home care services are
provided by bonded and insured caregivers all of whom pass a national background check.
If a senior family member needs in-home care services in Franklin, Pontiac, South Lyon, Sterling
Heights, Oak Park, Warren and surrounding areas, we are an excellent choice with exemplary
references. In-home care is the compassionate choice for your elderly loved ones' continued
independent living. We promise we will do our best to make it a positive experience for them
and you. For more information, please visit: http://seniorhelpers.com/location/2601.