Dad was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I'm a new caregiver. Help!

If i could only go back in time. When my father knew he was starting to loose his memory.. alot of stimutatin to the brain simple writting readind coloring crosswordd puzzles would be a great start

Lori start by reading up on Alzheimers & Dementia on this page. There are also a lot of forums from care givers here on this site. Read some and you will know that we are all here to help one another and give one another support.

We are all care-givers and we have questions, concerns, comments, and suggestions. There are a lot of people who are in the same position as you are now. Listen and learn from each and every one. You will soon discover that you are not alone in your journey and everyone will help you come through.

Find as many local programs as you can. There are home health aids,adult day centers, etc. Your dad would greatly benefit from being in a daycare setting. They do all kinds of activities geared toward keeping the mind stimulated. Once I got Mom to realize daycare was a good thing for her, she decided she actually liked going and now has her circle of friends that she sees 3 times a week.
Her dementia has seriously impaired her judgment and is a safety issue. She has Parkinsons which has progressed to the point that she cannot safely walk on her own without falling. Unfortunately her severe OCD will not allow her to sit still. She will literally try to get up from a sitting position 40 to 50 times a minute, when agitated. I've had to get restraints to keep her from falling when I have to do laundry or cook, etc. It's a very bad situation for me because she rarely lets up. Day care is a blessing in that it stimulates her mind, and gives me a few hours a week to breath! Use your computer to find local aid and start making phone calls to all of them. You may find help for things you hadn't thought of. Also, your local hospital may have a support group that can get you started on where to go for help.
Good luck, you are about to enter a realm like no other. It can be very hard on you, but also very rewarding!

EXCELLENT ADVICE FROM A RECENT ARTICLE CARRIED BY THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION...
The challenges of caring for the person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s may appear in a two-fold manner.
Elena Godfrey, a care navigator at the Rockford office of the Alzheimer’s Association, who works with families on care plans, said, “In the midst of all the care responsibilities that you have, you’re also internally grieving a loss of a relationship and those changes that you are seeing.”
Dunbar said, “You often times have to step back and say, ‘She’s not getting it. She’s not going to get it.’ So you have to figure out another way to get things done.”
According to Godfrey, the initial impulse to drop everything to care for a family member with Alzheimer’s mirrors that of someone responding to a loved one with an acute or temporary, emergency medical condition. However, once the acute condition subsides, the caregiver may recover.
“What we see with a chronic condition, in this case Alzheimer’s disease, is that that type of response is not functional and can cause a lot of problems for the caregiver long term,” Godfrey said.
She explained that caregivers need support and education to learn how to pace themselves when caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
>>>>>Alzheimer's Caregivers Are Often Silent Victims
by Elizabeth Brandon, Feb 04, 2010

I wish you all the best in your journey.
Since your Dad was recently diagnosed you will want to have some legal issues set up while he is still considered able to make his own decisions. I am not an attorney, but these are some documents that will make your life much easier. They have made life so much easier for me as my Dad's caregiver. These are in no particular order.
1. A legal document that allows doctors and hospitals to talk to you as your Dad's representative. Sometimes called a HIPAA form or a "Permission to discuss confidential medical information." The name varies depending on the state.
2. A Living will and/or Healthcare Power of Attorney.
3. A durable power of attorney.

Make sure for each of these that there alternate people set up in case you are no longer able to care for your Dad.
4. Ideally a will if your Dad does not already have one.

Check with your Dad's bank, brokerage, insurance and the Social Security Administration whether they will accept the durable power of attorney. Some want their own power of attorney form and will not accept a durable power of attorney. Its maddening, but better to know what is required early on.

Its a lot of legal documents, and its tempting to put off, but getting them lined up early will make your life much easier.

Caregiving can be hard, but it also has good moments with your parent. I wish you all the best.
CL

When I saw my mom losing her memory after her stroke, I immediately studied her drugs and the yearly flu vaccines. Doctors don't tell you that many of the drugs that are prescribed to the elderly CAUSE them to lose their memory. Even yearly flu shots cause chronic illnesses. My 90 yo mom was on 20 mgs of Lipitor for 3.5 years and she was getting an annual flu shot. During that time, her memory deteriorated dramatically. We now have her on a number of effective nutritional supplements and we took her off of all of her drugs and STOPPED the flu shots. No, it didn't restore the memory that she lost but it slowed the process of further memory decline. Sorry to hear about your dad. Study his drugs. You may be surprised at all the side effects they have that make them not worth taking and could be contributing to his Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Take it one day at a time. Enjoy the good days, take pleasure in small accomplishments. Survive the bad days and hope for a better one tomorrow. Your father will change physically, emotionally and mentally. There are times he really will surprise you with something he does remember. It will make no sense to you and don't even try to figure it out. Forgive him for the hurts he will cause and realize that he does not mean whatever he says or does that hurts you. Remember him the way he was, but realize that he is not the same man. It is the disease and not him who is behaving a certain way. Get used to repeating the same thing over and over and answering the same question numerous times. Don't even try to "get him to remember" because he cannot do it. Don't feel guilty about your feelings. Don't lose yourself and don't let others judge you. Try to allow yourself some time for you each day, even if it is only 10 minutes to read, sew, meditate or whatever gives you pleasure. And most of all, remember you are not alone.