We
continue with our ongoing Alzheimer’s educational series this month…
When a loved one has Alzheimer’s, it affects
everyone in the family including children and grandchildren. It’s important to talk to them about what is
happening. How much info you share
depends on the child’s age and their relationship with the sufferer. Below are some suggestions for helping
children to understand what is happening:
·
Answer questions simply and honestly. For instance, you might tell a child “Grandma
has an illness that makes it hard for her to remember things”.
·
Understand that their feelings of sadness or
anger are normal.
·
Provide comfort by telling them they didn’t
cause the disease. Young children may
think they did something to hurt their grandparent.
·
Don’t expect a child to help with care, and don’t
ask them to babysit.
·
Spend time with the child so they don’t feel all
of the attention is given to the sufferer.
Often, a young child will observe how you
interact with someone, and then mimic that.
Make sure that interactions are pleasant for both the child and the
sufferer and you’ll likely see the child initiate the same type of
behavior. Above all, do not force a
child of any age to spend time with the Alzheimer’s patient. Doing so could make them resent the person.
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