Living with Dementia
Dementia is an impairment to the brain that gets worse over time. While science has made considerable progress in identifying the causes and potential treatments, there is no cure or way of stopping the disease. It affects the memory, function, and health of the person afflicted. This means that they will need assistance to maintain their lifestyle at home.
Being a carer or caregiver to someone with dementia brings many challenges that will only grow over time. For many, the support they provide will take a toll on their lives, so understanding how to ease the burden should be a top priority.
How to Ease the Challenges that Dementia Brings
What makes dementia so challenging for the caregiver is that it is only going to get worse as time passes. Whether the progress is fast or slow, the person providing the care will be burdened with the thoughts of knowing that it will not get better. However, there are ways to help ease the challenges and look at the care being provided in the proper light.
- Create a Positive Mood
- Be Clear and Concise
- Ask Simple Questions
- Breakdown Activities into Steps
- Know When to Change Direction
Being positive can help in so many ways, especially make the best out of what otherwise might be a bad situation. You’ll want to be clear and concise in your statements to minimize misunderstandings. If you have questions to ask, be simple and direct about it. Plus, breaking down activities into single steps makes it easier for the person with dementia to follow.
Finally, there will be times when things will not go according to plan. So, you will need to change the plan. Listening with your ears, eyes, and your gut feeling will help provide you with a new direction to take. Knowing when to change plans can be quite helpful in getting things done.
Occupational Therapy & Brain Games
As dementia progresses, it affects the cognitive abilities of the brain along with the motor function. Such effects can be addressed with the use of occupational therapy to help regain proper motor function. And, games designed to stimulate the brain’s ability to reason and concentration. While such therapy and games will not reverse or stop the dementia from occurring, it can help with walking, moving around, and concentration which is otherwise diminishing.
Also, there are specialized mobility devices designed for those with impaired function because of their dementia. Add to that the assistive technology such as walking sticks with laser lights that help focus the brain on moving in the right direction and you have support systems that can help a person with dementia move about easier.
Dementia not only affects memory and the brain it affects the health and wellbeing of the person it inflicts. It also affects the lifestyle and health of those who assist, which means that care needs to be taken when offering assistance to those with brain and memory issues. The more you know about the care of those with dementia, the more support you can provide to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle for as long as possible.
