What are the Best Home Health Care Tips for Dealing With Dementia?

Dementia Care Tips

Dementia Care Tips offers advice on how to help deal with dementia

Dementia Care Tips

Dementia Care Tips

Judy Herman | Dementia Care Tips

Judy Herman, director and founder of Dementia Care Tips

Here are some tips on how to provide a calming environment for your loved one with Dementia

People with Dementia are no different than anyone else when it comes to reaping the rewards of physical activities.”
— Judy Herman

NEW YORK, NY, USA, June 14, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Caring for someone who has Dementia can be quite challenging, but the task can be facilitated for everyone involved when all possess a better understanding of the condition, and a significant sense of what to expect. Being able to anticipate the feelings of confusion, agitation, and anxiety in the individual suffering with Dementia, and to comprehend the way these emotions occur with the disease, is key to helping the afflicted individual live a better life.

Here are some tips on how to provide a calming environment for your loved one with Dementia:

Exercise and Activity

People with Dementia are no different than anyone else when it comes to reaping the rewards of physical activities. When individuals are involved in activities related to their interests and physical fitness, they are less likely to experience agitation, at least to the degree that it is experienced when their lives remain stagnant.

Nutrition and Meal Time

Dementia can affect a person's senses of smell and taste, and can also prevent someone from feeling hungry. For people dealing with Alzheimer's and Dementia, the joy of eating often diminishes, which can eventually lead to malnutrition and dehydration. These conditions, in turn, create a spiral effect, because malnutrition and dehydration are linked to an increase in confusion.

To create a healthy schedule of eating, it is often beneficial to serve meals in quiet places that are free of distractions. Even having your loved one face a wall during meal times can improve focus enough for them to complete a meal.

It is not uncommon for individuals with Dementia to wander or pace during meals, which is another challenge in the task of having them eat their fill. If your loved one is easily distracted and tends to wander off instead of finishing their meal, it is essential to provide foods that are quick to eat, yet packed with protein. Such options include peanut butter and dried fruit, high protein drinks, and food bars.

Dealing with Agitation

It is difficult, yet critical, to remain calm when dealing with an agitated individual with Dementia. Be aware that the behavior is not an attempt to cause you grief; instead, it is most often a response to confusion. When your loved one is agitated, it can be beneficial to distract them from their irritation with an enjoyable activity, like flipping through old photos, or listening to their favorite music.

Helping with Personal Care

A person with Dementia should be encouraged to take good care of their hygiene, to the best of their ability. While they might forget about the steps in taking a shower, for example, it can make a world of difference if you allow them to do it on their own, but assistance with personal care can be as simple as standing close by with reminders about what step is next.

Making Set Plans

Unpredictability is a factor in Dementia, so caregivers must be flexible and understanding, willing to adapt and adjust to whatever changes occur with the individual suffering from Dementia, either suddenly or over time.

Activities that your loved one might find enjoyable one day can become frustrating the next, depending upon the progression of the disease, and the more willing you are to accommodate, the better the situation will be for all.

People with Dementia often respond well when more substantial activities or movements are chunked into smaller pieces. Writing down plans into sections that take place over the course of a day can make the overall event or task more manageable.

Conclusion

Over time, it will become necessary for a person with Dementia to acquire the assistance of a caregiver for all the activities of daily living.

This release was drafted by Results Driven Marketing, LLC: a full-service digital marketing, public relations, advertising and content marketing firm located in Philadelphia, PA

Judy Herman
Dementia Care Tips
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