Helping a loved one sail through Dementia? Here’s how

dementia

Dealing with a lifelong disease or a terminal condition can take such a toll on the caregivers’ mental health that it might lead to mental troubles of their own. Awareness and knowledge of the illness can equip us to handle day-to-day challenges in a better way. Dementia due to Alzheimer’s or any other kind can be especially taxing if you have your own life to manage. Therefore in this article, we will try to explain how to better deal with them using tried and tested techniques of experts as well as some much-required help from a trusted home health care agency.

Do your homework on the various conditions that can arise

A good exercise while preparing for managing the life of a dementia patient would be to put solid research and testimonies of caregivers under your belt. Consult your doctor, ask for references and read up on the disease to identify common dementia behaviours. A typical patient in dementia is disoriented, confused and may even turn belligerent when situations trigger. Take detailed notes on these behaviors and anticipate them as they are common with all kinds of patients.

Anticipate aggression and learn to handle such situations

People with dementia actively act out of fear leading to extremely aggressive behaviour at times. Therefore anticipating aggression from them in course of their day to day life will help you navigate the situation in a calm manner. First thing would be to understand the cause of their behavior and how to handle patient with dementia. Are they in some sort of pain? Or have they been triggered by something? Once you have an idea about the cause, you could, based on your discretion, choose to give them space, calm them down by talking or engaging them in some unrelated activity. 

Managing confused or repetitive behaviour

When the patient repeatedly asks the same questions and even then seems to be confused about the situation then try to offer simple explanations and use physical clues such as photographs, mind maps, calendars and to-do lists to focus their attention and remind them of their tasks. The idea is to make them feel safe and understood. Experts point out that it is difficult reasoning with a person suffering from such a condition, therefore it is best to comfort them and keep them in a calm demeanor.

Dealing with manipulative behavior

Manipulation can be read as different things even as a subtle cry for help when the person employing it is actually suffering from dementia. Sometimes a caregiver may be caught completely off-guard with this sudden change in the personality of a loved one. However, it must be understood that such behavior is often far outside of the intention of a person suffering from this condition. Manipulation may be used to gain trust or exercise control therefore to be better equipped to fight it with care, consideration, ingenuity, and effort. Once we learn to separate the behavior from the person, we can work together with the person to solve the problem at hand. It is important to remember that accusations can trigger further unwanted responses therefore it is also important to keep our own emotions and responses in check.

Employing professional services

It is important to stick to what we know will be the best for the concerned person however, when situations demand so, we should not hesitate to look for a reliable and trustworthy Home Health Care Agency Broward to help us with the responsibilities of managing the life of our loved ones. One such agency Health Care of South Florida has excellent services available at affordable rates personalized for each patient. Working together with professionals while providing personalized care is a sure shot way to achieve better health and quality of life for our loved ones.