What Kinds of Support Are Available For Someone With Alzheimer's?

Yes, fortunately, support is available for an Alzheimer's patient.

After your loved one is diagnosed, one of your first stops should be a website calledwww.alzhope.com. It's a loving community of families in similar situations. And it will reassure you that you're not alone...and will give you the chance to vent, to listen, and to post questions. They'll wrap their arms around you and welcome you like an old friend.

Your second stop on the support-trail may be the Alzheimer's Association, at www.alz.org. Here you'll find a list of the programs offered...including one for the patient. And you'll also find a link to your local association, and resources close to home.

You may want to check out your local association's early-stage support group. These groups are designed to meet the needs of the patient. Your loved one will have the opportunity to participate in group discussions with other newly-diagnosed patients, led by a skilled facilitator who'll address all the issues - medical, financial, emotional, and family - that need to be addressed.

Your loved one will laugh, cry, talk, and work on common problems with the other patients. These groups usually meet every month. And while your loved one is meeting with others in the same situation, so will you - family members have their own meeting in a separate area.

Of course, there are also avenues of individual support...such as counseling, clergy members, or home health agencies.

Two helpful contacts:

Alzheimer's Disease Education & Referral Center (ADEAR)

800-438-4380

www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers

National Institute on Aging/Alzheimer's Disease Information

800-222-2225

www.nia.nih.gov

And there's another organization that can help, as well - The Law Offices of Alice Reiter Feld & Associates.

For one thing, we have one of the largest Alzheimer's Resource Centers in South Florida. For a second, we're Elder Law attorneys. For a third, over the past 33 years, we've walked thousands of South Florida families through the Alzheimer's Journey. And for a fourth, we've also helped these families prepare in advance for a possible Alzheimer's/dementia journey, with comprehensive estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, long-term care planning, asset protection plans, and assistance with the VA or Medicaid.

We can walk your family through the Alzheimer's Journey. And we're just a phone call away.