Carenote from Barbara

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Caring for someone with Alzheimer's. Problem with anxiety and eating

I share a live-in shift with two other caregivers and we take care of an 87-year-old woman who lives in her home and has Alzheimer's. She has a very high level of anxiety and does not like to be left alone for a minute. Another symptom of her anxiety is that she visits her refrigerator constantly looking for snacks to eat. We are very careful not to buy her any snacks like cake, cookies or ice cream, but buy her healthy snacks instead. We deal with the issue of her getting two or three snacks consecutively, but that is not the biggest problem. We have caught her going into her freezer attempting to eat frozen meats and fish. We are very diligent about following her into the kitchen, but on occasion, have missed these incidents. We have discussed them with her family and we are trying to come up with a solution. The family does not want to put a lock on her freezer because they feel that she will become extremely combative and agitated. Can you give me any suggestions? Please help!

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