Helen, your 86-year-old nursing home patient with a diagnosis of Stage IV Alzheimer's disease, is getting ready to go home. Her son asks you what he should do to help her at home. What do you tell him?

Question

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You would tell her son to label drawers and closets, place a list of telephone numbers next to the phone, purchase microwavable meals and/or order Meals on Wheels, and help her with banking, appointments, driving, and social functions. You would also recommend to the son that he check on his mother daily. The symptoms of Stage IV Alzheimer's disease include impaired short-term memory, mild deterioration of long-term memory, impaired executive functioning, difficulty sequencing and problem solving, and depression. A person with Stage IV Alzheimer's disease can still perform routine, basic tasks like bathing, dressing, simple meal preparation, and housekeeping. They may forget to complete these tasks or may just not feel like doing them, so daily monitoring is necessary to insure that health is maintained.

Helen, Your 86-Year-Old Nursing Home Patient with a Diagnosis of Stage