Many of the most enjoyable and important interactions of many older adults involve looking after their young grandchildren. To take on such a responsibility requires a lot of skills, but especially requires good judgment. Unfortunately, even more than the memory Memory
The ability to process information that requires attention, storage, and retrieval. problems of early 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., questions about judgment and safety make it very difficult for the person you care for to look after their grandchildren. Most dementias affect a person's judgment and decision making abilities Abilities
Level at which certain actions and activities can be carried out.. This, along with memory problems, can make it difficult for them to behave appropriately, safely, and responsibly. They may forget what they were doing, they may forget who the grandchildren are or they may not remember how to act around children. However, under proper supervision there is no reason why the person you care for shouldn't continue to spend time with their grandchildren.

As people with frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal dementia
A type of dementia that mainly affects the frontal lobe causing a problem in executive function tasks. have erratic behavior, sudden dramatic mod changes and frustration that they can not express, it would be wise to not leave them unattended with the care and responsibility of a child or frail/ infirmed adult. The hallucinations of Lewy body dementia, and the combination of poor motor performance and cognitive Cognitive
See cognition and judgment problems in Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease
A progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of neurons in the brain. The disease has been linked to a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine which has consequences such as tremors, speech impediments, movement difficulties, and often dementia later in the course of the disease. dementia also interfere with this important responsibility.

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 a symptom is affecting everyday life; the next step is communicating this knowledge to the care planning team and family members. SymptomGuide^TM is designed with this goal in mind.

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