Are the keys in the freezer?: an advocate's guide for Alzheimer's and other dementias

1. Coming to terms with dementia. What is dementia?

Testing and diagnosis for dementia

Understanding types of dementia

Stages of dementia : Mild or early stage of dementia ; Moderate or middle stage of dementia ; Severe or late stage of dementia

Treatment plans for dementia

2. Care facilities: making the right move. Types of care facilities : Continuing care retirement communities ; Independent living ; Assisted living ; Adult family homes ; Skilled nursing facilities ; Alzheimer's and memory care facilities

Guidelines for screening care facilities

Making the choice: our concerns in selecting a care facility

Meals and menus in care facilities

Social activities in care facilities: what's available to keep people interested?

Moving to a care facility: dementia and disorientation

Dementia and wandering outside a care facility: a choice of safety or independence

Switching assisted living facilities: making sure it's the right move

Conflicts with assisted living staff

Lessons about choosing a service area in a care facility

Memory care: first impressions

What happens if you live in a different state?

3. Can we afford a care facility? Paying for long-term care : Long-term care insurance ; Reverse mortgages ; Veterans benefits ; Aid and attendance pension benefit ; Life settlement ; PACE program ; Income tax deductions ; Medicare and Medicaid

Finances: do you really know what's happening?

Comparing costs: living at home or in a care facility

Facility fee structures

Cost categories in a long-term care budget

building a five-year budget : Table 1: Net worth ; Table 2: Income and expenses ; Table 3: Annual reductions in net worth

What if a family cannot afford a care facility?

Family conflicts about money and caregiving responsibilities

4. Care facility agreements. Flexibility in care facility agreements : Negotiating apartment or room prices ; Waiting lists ; One-time fees

Talking about terms with facility staff : Financial guarantee ; Asset guarantee

Care plans

Attachments and exhibits to care facility agreements : State inspection handbook ; Resident information forms ; Resident rights forms ; Privacy notice ; Pharmacy authorization ; Public relations and activity authorizations ; Disclosure of services

Where to turn for help : State long-term care ombudsman offices ; Adult protective services ; Licensing offices that regulate care facilities ; Legal support

5. Advocacy in medical care. Unmasking mom's medication problems

Taking responsibility for someone's health care

Monitoring a care facility's medication system

Checkpoints for monitoring medications : Open communications with the physician ; Reviewing the medical chart ; Laboratory tests ; Warning labels

What happens when the system breaks down

Calming drugs: are they the answer in a care facility?

Hearing, vision, dental care, and mobility

6. Hospice and palliative care. What is hospice care?

Qualifying for hospice care

Role of the hospice team

Comfort care for dying patients

The importance of educating families about dying

7. Advance care directives. What are advance directives? : Living will ; Durable power of attorney for healthcare

Appointing a health-care proxy

Shortfalls of advance directives

Five Wishes: an alternative to traditional advance directives

Doctor's orders: out-of-hospital do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders

POLST: Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment

When to take action on advance care directives

8. The path forward. Changing the way we look at care facilities

Neighborhood alternatives for the future

Dementiaville: the answer to future care?

The Alzheimer's café

Current and emerging technologies

Appendixes. 1. Examples of cognitive tests : Mini-mental status exam ; St. Louis University mental status exam

2. Care-plan costs and the point system in assisted living and memory care facilities

3. Technologies, now and the future : In-home remote monitoring technologies ; Tracking technologies ; Home safety ; Assistive products ; Cognitive fitness technologies ; Education.