Caring attitude While many people with dementia may not always understand what is being said, they still have feelings and emotional responses. It is important to maintain their dignity and self-esteem. Be calm and talk in a gentle, clear way. Keep sentences short and simple, focusing on one idea at a time.
Dementia affects the way a person thinks, which can impact on their ability to respond appropriately or follow a conversation. This could be because they: do not understand what you have said.
Alzheimer's disease progressively destroys brain cells over time, so during the early stages of dementia, many do recognize something is wrong, but not everyone is aware.
“People living with Alzheimer's may enjoy talking about their families, friends, and the things they like in life, whether it's a hobby, an old TV show, or their favorite foods.”
Honesty isn't always the best policy when it comes to someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. That's because their brain may experience a different version of reality. Dementia damages the brain and causes progressive decline in the ability to understand and process information.
Comfort the person with verbal and physical reassurance. Distraction or redirection might also help. Giving your loved one a job such as folding laundry might help to make her feel needed and useful. People with dementia may become uncooperative and resistant to daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating.
Home care is often recommended by experts through end of life. However, every family and situation is different, so permanent home care may not always be possible. Research shows keeping a loved one with dementia at home helps them be happier and live longer; however, it is most impactful when introduced early.
Have a family sing-song, enjoy a show together, or ask them to play for you to listen. Even when they are no longer able to perform they may still get great joy from listening to music or watching others. People with dementia repeat themselves. Telling and retelling the same story is part of the condition.
Stage 6. In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events. Communication is severely disabled and delusions, compulsions, anxiety, and agitation may occur.
Visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not really there) are the most common type experienced by people with dementia. They can be simple (for example, seeing flashing lights) or complex (for example, seeing animals, people or strange situations).
What is anosognosia? Anosognosia is a condition that causes someone to be unaware of their mental health condition and how it affects them. It's common in some conditions, including dementia. So, someone who has been diagnosed with dementia, but has anosognosia, doesn't know or believe that they have dementia.
As a caregiver, my experiences with many types of dementia suggest to me that people likely do understand their surroundings on some level, even if it may only be picking up on their caregiver's body language or mood.
This is why an Alzheimer's patient might remember an event from 20 years ago but can't remember what they did mere minutes ago. “First in, last out” is often used to describe the peculiar pattern of memory loss that AD causes. This concept is a take on an inventory valuation method used in accounting.
A person with dementia should stop living alone if they're experiencing injuries, wandering outside the home, or otherwise putting themselves in dangerous situations. Ask yourself whether your senior family member's safety needs are being met and if extra assistance will keep them safe.
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.
The deterioration of dementia is usually slow and gradual. Rapidly progressive dementias or RPDs are different. They progress quickly, frequently over a period of weeks or months, and can swiftly prove fatal.
Over time, the disease causing the dementia spreads to other parts of the brain. This leads to more symptoms because more of the brain is unable to work properly. At the same time, already-damaged areas of the brain become even more affected, causing symptoms the person already has to get worse.
I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here: 1) Don't tell them they are wrong about something, 2) Don't argue with them, 3) Don't ask if they remember something, 4) Don't remind them that their spouse, parent or other loved one is dead, and 5) Don't bring up topics that may upset them.
Allow the person to keep as much control in his or her life as possible. Respect the person's personal space. Build quiet times into the day, along with activities. Keep well-loved objects and photographs around the house to help the person feel more secure.
Studies have shown music may reduce agitation and improve behavioral issues that are common in the middle-stages of the disease. Even in the late-stages of Alzheimer's, a person may be able to tap a beat or sing lyrics to a song from childhood.