Best Friends Bill of Rights outlines 12 rules to help caregivers enhance lives of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Jul 1 2010

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced of professionals working with seniors daily in assisted living and memory care. Now there is help and guidance from the experts at Best Friends Approach™ Virginia Bell and David Troxel.  The Best Friends Bill of Rights outlines 12 rules that when adapted, can make a world of difference in the quality of daily life to the one suffering as well as those acting in the role of caregiver.  

"We have established a Best Friends Bill of Rights because often times people don't know how to go about caring for someone in a way that provides the best results," said David Troxel, co-founder of Best Friends Approach.  "With our Bill of Rights it makes it easier to understand what should be incorporated into everyday life, and what can be expected. It takes the mystery out of big questions like 'what should I do, and how shall I handle this?'"  

By redefining how to enhance the lives of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, the Best Friends Approach makes life better by adapting an approach that is not difficult or hard to understand, but instead follows a mission that any best friend can understand and apply.  

The Best Friends Bill of Rights

Every person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder deserves:

• To be informed of one's diagnosis.
• To have appropriate, ongoing medical care.
• To be productive in work and play as long as possible.
• To be treated like an adult, not a child.
• To have expressed feelings taken seriously.
• To be free from psychotropic medications if at all possible.
• To live in a safe, structured and predictable environment.
• To enjoy meaningful activities to fill each day.
• To be out-of-doors on a regular basis.
• To have physical contact including hugging, caressing, and hand-holding.
• To be with persons who know one's life story, including cultural and religious traditions.
• To be cared for by individuals well-trained in dementia care.