May 19, 2013
DOTHAN, AL---It's a day dedicated to those who care for people with Alzheimer's.
"I'm trying to help caregivers understand that so often we hear the negative about dementia and there's so many positive things we can do along the way," said Jolene Brackey.
Jolene Brackey travels the country helping caregivers and family members understand the disease and give advice on the best ways to cope.
Brackey says memory is deeper than we think.
"When we're making them feel better, they don't remember what you said or did five minutes later, but 5 minutes later they still feel better and when they're feeling better then we get better days."
Brackey says forcing the person to remember causes stress.
"If they're not hurting anybody let them believe what they want to believe e and let them think what they want to think and live in their truth."
Caregivers say the tips will come in handy.
"It helps me to know how to feed them and what to say when they don't want to eat and what to do to get them to eat," said Phyllis Maloy.
Suggestions caregivers hope will help make their job a little easier and the patients' day a little better.
Organizers say last year the Alzheimer's Resources Center helped more than 12,000 families in the Wiregrass area.
Alzheimer's Conference