Our church guys would like to make an effort to be friends and give my AD husband some male companionship. He know all these people, but was not close to them before. Anyway, I thought there might be some links or advice on how to relate to him as he has difficulty carrying on a conversation, et. I thought I saw a book somewhere just about this subject, but I have forgotten where(UH OH!) Thanks for your help.
How wonderfully compassionate of those men. Good for them. You do not state exactly how impaired your husband is, but there are a couple of good books that can be helpful. One is Learning to Speak Alzheimer's - you can view its description and purchase it if you like, by copying and pasting this link. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618485171?&camp=212361&creative=380733&linkCode=wey&tag=wwwthealzheim-20
The second is The Validation Breakthrough - Simple Techniques for Communicating with "Alzheimer's Type Dementia". Copy and paste this link to view :http://astore.amazon.com/wwwthealzheim-20/detail/1878812815/104-5350280-0399954
I feel it is so very important for the person with Alzheimer's to have a social network. If you have not read about our experience in this area, check out my previous blog section on the left side of the website, and scroll down to #152.
Thank you for your suggestions. I am definitely ordering the first one right away. My husband is a little hard for me to classify. He is only 54 and diagnosed 3 years ago. He has communication problems, unable to follow a conversation, can't find words and then forgets what he was going to say. He was once very outgoing - now is quiet.He seems to have lost alot of social skills. He has severe cognitive issues such as not being able to figure how to fix himself a glass of water. So many steps to something so simple for us. He is still able to take care of his daily grooming needs, sometimes with a little guidance.(If you just saw him you would not even know he has AD). He has not driven for a couple of years or worked. We owned our own business, but had to close down. He is bored and does not know what to do with himself and I can't and don't know how to keep him occupied. I am able to stay home with him.
I did read your previous blog and will call to check out the support groups in our area. We seldom discuss his disease as he doesn't quite get it. It is almost like the "elephant in the room".
I love your website. Thank you for caring for all of us.