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I definitely would say no. Even the slightest forgetfulness could endanger a baby or young child. Please do not leave one with a cognitively impaired adult of any age!
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Maybe I'm not reading this correctly but, Isn't pablambert asking if it's OK to have children and babies around someone with alzheimers? Young ones have a way of making alzheimers patients feel happy and playful, the child loves the attention and the patient is happy to get their attention--it's a win win situation. Of course if I'm mistaken and the question is can a alzheimers patient watch/supervise a child or baby I agree with everyone else "NO". My 3 yr old grandson loves to hold my mother in laws hand when we are outside, he thinks he is taking care of her and she feels like she is taking care of him. He points out flowers, trees, bugs, whatever he sees, if she wants to go up the drive to the front he tells her 'no Grandmama, we can't go to the that way". She will turn around and come back. They are both happy and I can just sit and watch.
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I would have to say no as well. The disease of dementia is so hard to pin down ... it's hard to know what memory loss will occur and when it will occur. It could become very dangerous very quickly and it only takes a split second for your life to completely change. I know it's tough to not be able to trust your loved one, but I think that even your loved one would agree if he or she was able to comprehend what is happening. No one would want to put a child in danger. Good luck to you. My heart goes out to you.
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LAMBERT:

Well, you got your answer. Better safe than sorry, don't you think?
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SAFE - I guess I read the question a bit differently than others. If the question is whether a young child and baby are safe around a person with Alzheimer's, for example in the living room with them, then I resoundingly say YES it is safe.

The questioner mentions the person has never shown any abusive type of behavior. So one must consider each case differently.

I can say that my nephew 9 y.o. and niece 7 y.o. had absolutely no problem playing in the living room with my 85 y.o. father with Alzheimer's sitting on the lounger, reading his paper, snoozing, or drifting off. Occasionally, he would wander over to see what they were doing, and vice versa. Mom or other adults were either in the living room or kitchen adjacent.

They knew he was forgetful, not so talkative, etc., and actually dealt with it better than most adults. They just accepted and accommodated him as needed. The only problem I can recall is when grandpa kept taking photos of my niece playing (we figure it was his coping mechanism to remember), and she got irritated by it. But mom talked to her about being patient and understanding, a teachable moment as they say.

Alzheimer's is not contagious, it doesn't automatically mean violent or abusive behavior, and it's not scary if understood. There is enough discrimination in this world, let's not let ignorance add another category.

If the question is whether a person with Alzheimer's should take care of and supervise kids, then clearly that is no.
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Robert, I'm with you. I guess the question is up for interpretation. I didn't see it stated anywhere that a person with Alz was going to babysit. I thought it meant can an Alz patient hold the child and/or be in the same area if they aren't aggressive or a threat. I still think with supervision, it's ok. I liken it to my 8 yr old granddaughter wanting to hold her 10 mo old cousin. With supervision and a very watchful eye, we allow her to do so. She feels on top of the world, probably just like the above mentioned Alz patiet would. My granddaughter can't cook or do complex problems but she can hold a baby.
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Yes I think they ( the person with Alzheimer's disease) should be able to see their grandchildren or great grandchildren. However I would not leave my grandchild in the care of someone with alzheimer's disease. I think it is important to use your best judgement in the situation. Knowing that folks with alzheimer's disease lose their skills as they learned them, and that they often become childlike I would be very careful...
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My niece, my MIL's great-granddaughter, had a baby in Dec. '08. The girl that my MIL used to babysit for had a daughter in Sept. '08.

As long as there is someone watching how the person, who has Alzheimer's, interacts with the baby (have that person sit right next to him/her) so if anything happens, the baby can be safe at all times.

My MIL, as long as she was sitting in a chair with pillows all around her and someone watching her and the baby, fed the ggd and sang to it.
If it had been me, I would have been hesitant to put the baby in her arms.
...but my SIL, the baby's grandmother, put pillows all around her and baby
and she was fine. Now as for changing baby's diapers, no, that responsibility goes to someone younger. She got to hold the girl's baby (the girl that is like a daughter to her), only for a short time.

Now, if you know they aren't having a good day, then I definitely would say no. Let the mother keep the baby in her arms while ggm or whatever relation she happens to be, plays with him/her.

If the baby is wiggly, I would definitely say no.
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That should have been my niece, my MIL's granddaughter, had a baby in Dec. '09.

...but it depends on the person with AD and if the person, who doesn't have the disease, thinks whether or not it's okay for the person with AD
to handle the baby. Take precautions if you do decide it is okay.
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I just have to add - if you gotta aski, then the answer is obviously no.
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