Tips for Caregivers and Families of People With Dementia
by Admin
Posted on 12-04-2024 12:47 PM
It is often stressful and emotionally straining when caring for someone with alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Although there is no cure for alzheimer’s or dementia, taking care of your family member or loved one makes a huge difference in their quality of life.
According to the alzheimer’s association , 50 million people are living with alzheimer’s and other dementias. As the disease advances over time, tasks may become more daunting and overwhelming for a caregiver. Don’t worry! you are not alone. Here are 10 tips for alzheimer’s caregivers!.
It’s only natural for seniors to crave remaining in their homes as they age. Home is familiar and filled with memories and precious belongings. People with alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia may cling to the familiar in the face of cognitive decline, but they often need more support than seniors without these conditions. If you have loved ones with these conditions, you may worry about being able to care for their increasing needs. While some families may turn to memory care or nursing homes, aging in place is becoming increasingly popular and can be done safely with home support and training for family caregivers , even for elder adults in the later stages of their diagnoses.
Tips for Everyday Care for People With Dementia
Early on in alzheimer’s and related dementias, people experience changes in thinking, remembering, and reasoning in a way that affects daily life and activities. Eventually, people with these diseases will need more help with simple, everyday tasks. This may include bathing, grooming, and dressing. It may be upsetting to the person to need help with such personal activities. Here are a few tips to consider early on and as the disease progresses:
try to keep a routine, such as bathing, dressing, and eating at the same time each day.
Help the person write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.
Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and staying connected with others offer proven benefits for well-being. Here are some tips for taking care of your mind and body if you have early-stage dementia: exercise. You don’t have to join a gym or spend a lot of money to be physically active. Even light housework, gardening, and walking around the neighborhood can have benefits. Experts recommend both aerobic exercise (such as walking) and strength training (such as lifting weights). Learn more about physical activity for people with dementia. Eat right. Eating healthy foods helps everyone stay well, and it’s particularly important for people with dementia.
Tips for Changes in Communication and Behavior for People With Dementia
Hospitalization of a patient with dementia is a potentially stressful experience often associated with negative outcomes for both the patient and family. The majority of dementia care is provided in the home by family caregivers who have intimate knowledge of the patient’s preferences, schedule, communication and comprehension abilities. The partner with me (pwm) project was developed to educate and connect healthcare providers with family caregivers of our patients with memory impairment. Hopefully, a better understanding of the patient’s routine and adherence to these routines in the hospital will decrease the incidence of delirium and changes in behavior. This project included the development of a film and an education packet for family caregivers of cognitively impaired patients as well as a questionnaire and patient specific care plan to be completed while hospitalized.
Like many dementia behaviors, confusion can have a number of triggers or root causes. Factors that may contribute to disorientation include the following: the environment. Is there too much noise or chaos occurring around them? perhaps it’s too cluttered or crowded. Poor communication. Are people talking too fast around your loved one? are they not providing enough time for your loved one to process? are people presenting them with too much information at once? lack of prompting and cueing. Family members or caregivers should be clear with verbal and physical cues. It can help a loved one with dementia stay on track when they don’t understand the situation in front of them.
A 2020 university of california study showed that maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle—one that includes cognitive and physical activity, a high-quality diet and social engagement—can reduce the risk of developing alzheimer’s disease. Some people living with dementia have also reported that challenging their brain helps them live well and manage their daily activities such as finances, cooking or being active.