Choices

It's easy to forget to appreciate the many choices we have during any given day--what to wear, eat, drink, or where to go. Many people with Alzheimer's disease either can't make choices or find the task of choosing one item over another very overwhelming, especially if they sometimes suffer from aphasia and their choices cannot be communicated. It's very important to give choices, it can give a person a sense of empowerment and sometimes a feeling of self-worth. In making choices available for the memory impaired, either a yes or no choice can be appropriate or one of two choices for a flavor of ice cream, clothing, etc. Any more than that can be confusing and sometimes even stressful. Keep in mind that most every time you give an Alzheimer's patient a choice he or she will select the second choice that you named because that is the idea most fresh in their mind.