Individuals with dementia often have anxiety which can make them feel nervous, worried, or cause them to not want to be left alone or out of sight of their caregivers.
Some people with dementia choose to live alone. You may feel happier and more in control in your own home, where you can keep your routines and stay in your community. Keeping your independence may also be important to you. Some people live alone because of their circumstances.
Keeping an active social life, regular exercise, and continuing activities the person enjoys, or finding new ones, can help to reduce behaviours that are out of character. Read more about activities for dementia. Other things that can help include: providing reassurance.
Diminished confidence can lead to a loss of independence, as people with dementia may feel concerned about what could happen if they leave their home, or reactions from other people. They may feel they can no longer go out or take part in activities. This, in turn, Page 4 leads to social isolation and loneliness.
But, the researchers say, the studies strengthen observations that such isolation increases the risk of dementia, and suggest that relatively simple efforts to increase social support of older adults — such as texting and use of email — may reduce that risk.
With dementia, understanding can become muddled. It's normal for anxiety feelings to increase as dementia progresses. It can be overwhelming and disturbing for a person with Alzheimer's. Touch can help communication through caregiving without depending on words.
Keeping dementia patients actively engaged in everyday activities and cognitively challenging tasks is beneficial for both body and mind and, in some cases, it can even slow the progression of the disease. Staying active and engaged can help to reduce dementia sleep problems, as well.
However, a person in the advanced stages of dementia can still experience emotions such as loneliness, boredom or frustration. A person might no longer be able to move independently or hold a conversation.
People with dementia can still have nice feelings too. They can feel happy, safe and calm. Some people with dementia may seem like their usual self a lot of the time and you may only notice small changes every now and then. Some people with dementia may not have as many good days.
Receiving a life-changing dementia diagnosis doesn't strip a person of their humanity or personhood. People with dementia think about the same things that any human thinks about — emotions, relationships, daily life, tasks to accomplish, and more.
Someone recently diagnosed with dementia is likely to experience a range of emotions. These may include grief, loss, anger, shock, fear, disbelief and even relief. Sometimes people experience positive reactions when they receive a diagnosis of dementia.
Try gentle touching, soothing music, reading, or walks. Reduce noise, clutter, or the number of people in the room. Try to distract the person with a favorite snack, object, or activity. Limit the amount of caffeine the person drinks and eats.
You and your family may worry about how long you can look after yourself, particularly if you live alone. Everyone experiences dementia differently and the rate at which symptoms become worse varies from person to person. But with the right support when you need it, many people live independently for several years.
Most dementia patients prefer to stay in their own home as long as possible. This is usually feasible in the early stages of the disease when the individual only requires basic care, such as food preparation, assistance with personal care and cleaning, and other household tasks.
In addition, individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias frequently become unable to appreciate other people's feelings or needs as sensitively as they once did. As a result, they can seem “selfish” or “self-centered”, and uncaring about other peoples' needs or feelings.
In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.
Lying to dementia patients can be the right way to care for them because: They don't remember the truth and repeatedly telling them or insisting on facts will only cause them distress and pain, especially when it comes to something emotional.
However, this is followed closely by the persons with dementia themselves, with 1 in 2 feeling ashamed of their condition, citing stigma as the main reason.
Games are an excellent way to keep busy and sharpen mental skills. From board games to brain games like puzzles or crosswords, there is a wide range of interesting games to choose from. Certain games, like bingo, can also be played in group settings and can encourage social interaction and fun between patients.
People with dementia may be driven to search or rummage for something that they believe is missing. example, individuals may hoard items out of fear that they may “need” the items some day. Individuals may begin to hide items when they are not able to recognize the people around them any longer.
The person with dementia usually doesn't remember if you have been there for five minutes or five hours. Ultimately it's better to visit three times per week for 20 minutes than once a week for an hour.
Avoid asking too many open-ended questions about the past, as it could be stressful for a person with dementia if they can't remember the answer. While it might seem polite to ask somebody about their day, it's better to focus on what's happening in the present.
Many people with frontotemporal dementia develop a number of unusual behaviours they're not aware of. These can include: being insensitive or rude.
Don't Ignore Them
If you're not sure how to interact with someone with obvious signs of dementia, it's OK to feel awkward. What doesn't help is shutting down and not making an effort to interact. The same applies if you suddenly start cutting back on visits because you're feeling uncomfortable.