Learning to live with ADC is more than just medications. Even though anti-HIV drugs (discussed in the previous section) are often very helpful to people with ADC, they may not completely reverse the symptoms. Thus, it may be necessary to come up with some coping strategies – some basic tips – to make your life easier.
Find support. It's okay to ask for help or to simply have people to talk to about your fears and concerns. Friends and family members are usually a great source of support and help. However, this does not mean that you need to tell everyone in your family – or all of your friends – about your condition.
Learn about dementia. As is true with almost every aspect of HIV and AIDS, you have a right to know about your condition and what may happen in the future. Reading this AIDSmeds.com lesson is a start, but there are other great sources of information on the Internet. It's also important to talk with your doctor about your progress and to discuss treatment options that may be available to you.
Keep active! One of the first things that many people with dementia do is to withdraw from certain activities – whether it's spending time with relatives, visiting with friends, spending time outdoors, or hobbies. Having ADC can cause anxiety when in social situations or spending time alone, thus many people turn away from these activities as to not frustrate themselves or feel as if they are burdening others. But these activities are very important, especially for people with ADC. Everyone needs to feel useful and to have a sense of purpose – losing these is not a natural part of ADC.
Keep a diary. It can be very helpful to write down things you want to remember or need to do in the future. Keeping these notes in the same place, such as in a notebook or diary, can help you keep your thoughts together.
Stick a weekly checklist onto the fridge. No matter how many times you've done the same chores or run the same errands week after week, ADC might impair your ability to remember each and every task. Make a checklist of all your regular chores and errands and make duplicate copies of the list. As the week goes on, you should check off each task you complete. When the list is completely checked off at the end of the week, replace it with a new checklist.
Write important reminders to yourself. Do you forget to turn off the oven? Do you forget to walk the dogs in the morning? Do you remember to take the garbage out every Tuesday night? By writing notes to yourself and sticking them where you're most likely to see them every day – such as on the bathroom mirror or above the coffee machine – you'll be providing yourself with reminders that are hard to miss.
Keep important things together. Instead of scattering important things like money, keys, and eyeglasses around the house, it's best to keep them all in one central place. There are also electronic tags that can be attached to these items to help locate them.
Label cupboards and drawers. It can be very frustrating to know that you have something in your house but you don't remember where it is. Try putting labels on cupboards and drawers reminding you of their contents.
Notify utility companies. Forgetting to pay your phone bill, cable bill, or gas/electricity charges every now and then is common. But forgetting to pay the bills on a regular basis can result in service disconnections, which can be scary and extremely frustrating to deal with. Most utility companies can send notices to a specific family member or friend in the event of an overlooked bill. This can be very helpful, as a reminder from a loved one is much more pleasant than a warning from a utility company. However, this is a service that you must request – it is almost always free-of-charge – although it's not necessary to disclose the exact details of your condition to the customer service agents.
Install gas detectors and smoke alarms. Forgetting to turn off the oven or snuff out candles can have horrible consequences. Gas detectors and smoke alarms can alert you to trouble before it turns tragic.
To learn more about living with dementia, your doctor can refer you to an occupational therapist.
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