Christina Bakle has spent nearly five years with Cookeville Medical Clinic in Cookeville, Tennessee, serving as a staff nurse in the clinic’s medical office. In addition to her work as a nurse, Christina Bakle has engaged in a number of community initiatives, such as teaching Alzheimer’s disease coping to families at the Unitarian Universalist Church in West Lafayette, Indiana.
As the symptoms of Alzheimer’s progress, individuals living with the disease, as well as their families and loved ones, will need to accept a number of difficult changes. In fact, one of the first steps families must take together involves acknowledging the tasks and situations that have become overly difficult and devising plans to address or avoid these scenarios. Drafting such a list can be humbling for the individual living with the disease and emotionally challenging for the family, but will ultimately make life easier for everyone.
Prioritization is also a useful strategy when it comes to coping with daily changes influenced by the progression of Alzheimer’s. For instance, seniors living with Alzheimer’s may find it increasingly difficult to keep track of their expenses. Though matters of pride and emotion cannot be understated in these times, individuals must realize that the stress and potential consequences of mismanaged finances are not worth the effort, and choose to reach out to the people they trust to complete these important tasks.
Finally, families and individuals should establish realistic goals that revolve around the things a senior can do, as opposed to the activities they can no longer engage in. For instance, if a person who enjoyed cooking all their life can no longer complete complex recipes, perhaps it is more realistic for them to begin preparing simpler dishes.
