Walking In Their Shoes
Communicating with loved ones who have Alzheimer's disease
by
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“The only information that I could obtain was from her admission paperwork sent from the hospital. She was single, lived alone, with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease with paranoia. Her admission paperwork revealed that she had been found by the police wandering on a busy highway, lost, confused, and looking for her home. No one knew how she arrived at the highway since she didn’t own a car couldn’t drive and she herself couldn’t explain. Nevertheless, she was taken to the hospital for evaluation. The hospital evaluation revealed that her cognition was impaired and she could not properly take care of herself. Therefore, after her hospital stay she moved into our facility on the locked unit to prevent her from wandering away. This small, frail woman displayed her emotions, whether sad, happy, or frightened, through her beautiful brown eyes, and when it came time for me to leave for the day, she asked me, “But what will I do?” as her eyes displayed fright and sadness. I explained to her that I was going home but would return in the morning. Although she was frightened and didn’t want me to leave, I repeatedly assured her that many of my friends (employees) were there to “keep her safe.” All day, I shared her information with staff members and introduced them to her one by one. As I left her room she requested that I close the door because “you know how people are, they come in and steal things.” With a smile, hug and one final assurance that she would be safe, I gently closed her door. The next morning I was greeted eagerly by the staff, who could not enter Judy’s room. She had barricaded herself and wouldn’t let anyone in. This was a new experience for me, to say the least. I gently knocked on her door and told her my name but, she yelled, “Go away!” After about five minutes of speaking through the partially-blocked door and explaining that it was breakfast time, she finally allowed me to enter her dark room. First, she explained she had to move some items away from the door so I could enter. I heard furniture moving but she did not leave much area to enter, so I squeezed in between the stacked items. I was shocked to see a chest of drawers, night stand, and two chairs next to the door, and still partially blocking the entrance. The curtains were pulled tightly closed with a blanket thrown over them. She said that she was afraid because someone had entered her room in the middle of the night, so she moved the furniture to block the door. (By the way, the night-time visitor was a staff member doing rounds). As we talked calmly, I slowly moved the furniture blocking the door against her strong protests, and was amazed that such a frail woman could have moved the heavy chest of drawers. As I assisted her in getting ready for breakfast, I explained that I was concerned that if something bad happened, she would not be able to exit her room in a timely manner and the staff wouldn’t be able to enter. She was not convinced. I reassured her repeatedly of her safety, but I could still see fear in her eyes. She continued barricading her room for the next week. No matter how many times or different approaches I attempted, I was not able to persuade her that she was safe. So I finally devised a plan.”
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About the Book
"Walking In Their Shoes," is a sociological perspective on communicating with people diagnosed with moderate-severe Alzheimer's disease and where/how negative behaviors originate. This book includes true stories and illustrates how to successfully understand behaviors, resolve conflict, and redirect persons diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer Association estimates between the years 2010 and 2030, 17 million people will become at high risk to develop Alzheimer's disease. It is important that you see the faces and realities of these people, not just the numbers. My book is designed to assist you in exploring the reality, and face, of Alzheimer’s disease by inviting you on a short journey into the world of Alzheimer’s disease. “2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures,” Prevalence, pages 10-12: Alzheimer’s Association.
About the Author
Michael Krauthamer is an accomplished musician who learned at an early age the positive influence of music. He witnessed people thought to be nonverbal, singing to songs they were familiar with and clapping to songs they weren’t. He learned that he could use music as a tool to elicit strong emotions and also calm and give comfort to those who needed it. He graduated from Indiana University in 2002, with a B.A., and an emphasis in Human Behavioral Science with a minor in Social Psychology. From his first experience with Alzheimer’s disease, he learned that through observation, non-verbal and verbal communication, he could effectively communicate with people who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and considered non-commutative, by observing their actions and locating “their reality.” Once this was accomplished, he used two simple techniques to communicate and “redirect” what some people call “behaviors,” meaning negative behaviors. Although these techniques were not successful all the time, with every success, Michael was rewarded. Now he would like to share these simple techniques, so you can have the same positive results and see that communication is possible with those you love.