What to look for?
Operating Gadgets/Appliances | Common Signs- Has difficulty turning common appliances on or off (e.g. TV, radio, microwave)
- Has difficulty adjusting the volume on the television or radio
- Has difficulty changing channels on the television, or tuning in radio stations
- Has difficulty using key pads (e.g. setting cooking time on a microwave, entering a code for an alarm system)
- Cannot operate a remote control (e.g. not sure what each button does)
- Has difficulty learning to use new gadgets (e.g. satellite system, new telephone)
- Has difficulty using more complex appliances (e.g. snow blower, lawn mower)
- Uses an appliance or tool for the wrong function (e.g. puts clothes in the dishwasher, uses cordless phone as a remote)
- Uses an appliance or a tool improperly (e.g. moves vacuum side-to-side instead of back-and-forth)
- Uses appliance or machinery in an unsafe manner (e.g. cannot control power saw)
Operating Gadgets/Appliances | General Description
Operating various instruments and appliances require a variety of cognitive Cognitive
See cognition and sensory Sensory
Relating to one of the five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. activities which become impaired with Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease
A neurological disease that affects memory and behaviour. It is characterized by beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. There is no known cause but genetics and lifestyle are thought to play a role.. Due to memory Memory
The ability to process information that requires attention, storage, and retrieval. impairments, the person you care for may have difficulty with the basic functioning of instruments and appliances. Additionally, they may forget what the instrument is used for or use the instrument in an unsafe manner.
The first step in taking a more active role in symptom Symptom
In medicine a symptom is what the patient complains of. For example, a a patient may have symptoms of pain and fatigue. management is understanding how everyday life is affected; the next step is communicating this knowledge to the care planning team and family members. SymptomGuideTM is designed with these goals in mind.
