Sunday, March 6, 2011

ARE

The Alzheimer Support Group taught me the acronym A.R.E.

Don't ... Argue with an AD patient.
Don't try to ... Reason with an AD patient.
Don't try to ... Explain to an AD patient.

Remembering ARE is very helpful for me because I am able to take a deep breath and either walk away (not too far) or respond by saying something like: "Oh Lizzie, put your arms around me!" "OK, what should we do next?" "Let's dance!" ANYthing to switch her focus works.

This strategy helps my stress level diffuse.

1 comment:

  1. When my first grandmother w/Alzheimer's was failing, my father would be so impatient with her. It's just in his nature, but I had a talk with him, and he realized (probably through his own pain) that it was making things worse for everyone, not better. Things changed drastically after that. I never heard about ARE, but it's wonderful. I hope people take heed.

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