It isn’t always easy caring for someone with dementia. The disease, which is a cluster of conditions such as Alzheimer’s, affects people progressively to the point where they may forget familiar surroundings, lack clarity of thought, lose focus, and even forget who they are. This makes dementia an extremely challenging condition to manage. It requires a complete understanding of the intricacies that characterize the disease and practicing time-tested support strategies that will help you provide your suffering loved one with a more dignified life.
Understanding Dementia
Dementia is not a specific disease but rather an umbrella term for a range of cognitive impairments that interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia are among the most common types. Each type has unique characteristics, but they all share a progressive decline in cognitive function, memory loss, and changes in behavior. Understanding the specific type of dementia, a person has is essential for tailoring support strategies.
READ ALL ABOUT DEMENTIA HERE: Dementia: Definition, Symptoms and Causes
The Emotional Impact of Dementia on Patients and Caregivers
The symptoms of dementia can manifest in various ways, making it challenging to diagnose in its early stages. Memory loss is a hallmark symptom, but individuals may also experience difficulties with communication, problem-solving, and completing familiar tasks. Personality changes, mood swings, and disorientation are common symptoms which often lead to frustration and confusion for both the person with dementia and their caregivers.
Caregivers may also face stress, grief, and a sense of helplessness as they witness the gradual decline of their loved ones. It is crucial for everyone involved to acknowledge and address these emotions to provide the best possible support.
Understanding Behavioral Changes in Dementia
There are several changes that a person with dementia will exhibit as the condition worsens. These behavioral symptoms can be highly distressing for families and caregivers, making it even more challenging to manage the patient. Common changes are:
- Restlessness and agitation
- Shouting or screaming
- Suspicion and paranoia
- Following someone around
- Repeating questions
It is important to remember that dementia is a deteriorating disease, and the progression of behavioral changes could mean that a person’s needs aren’t being met not because of the caregiver, but because they aren’t able to communicate effectively. For example, they may be thirsty, hungry or in pain but cannot convey it. Sometimes, they may feel threatened due to misunderstanding actions or be frustrated or bored.
The Effects of Dementia on an Individual’s Well-Being
The biggest problems associated with dementia are memory and clear thinking. This can severely impact the individual’s
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Social interaction and relationships
- Ability to pursue their hobbies
- Everyday life skills and tasks
In dementia, it is relationships, especially, that take a considerable toll where the affected individual loses their sense of identity and begins to forget their loved ones. This can sometimes strain relationships with the person’s isolation due to people or family avoiding them. There might be a complete loss of contact with friends and family who have no clue how to interact with a dementia patient. This is why compassion and understanding what a person is going through is crucial in providing support and care, regardless of how challenging it may seem.
How to Support Someone With Dementia
Dementia will impact a person’s daily life, but caregivers can implement strategies to minimize the effects of these changes and help the individual maintain a sense of normalcy for as long as possible.
Creating a Supportive Environment
A person with dementia loses a sense of familiar surroundings, even at home. This is why changes to the environment become an essential aspect of effective caregiving. Simple modifications, such as removing tripping hazards, using clear signage, and maintaining a consistent routine, can contribute to a safer and more comfortable living space. Photographs and videos can be constantly played back to the patient, serving as memory aids to provide continuity, a sense of belonging and a connection to the past.
Enhancing Communication
As dementia progresses, caregivers can improve communication with simple language, maintaining eye contact, and giving the person with dementia ample time to respond. Avoid sudden movements and tense facial expressions that might upset that patient. Stay close and over someone when they are trying to speak, as this might come across as intimidating. Nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language, become more critical when words fail. Patience and empathy are essential for fostering meaningful connections through communication.
Engage in Meaningful Activities
Encouraging dementia patients with activities that cater to their interests and abilities is crucial for maintaining a sense of purpose and well-being. Creative activities, music therapy, and reminiscence therapy effectively stimulate cognitive function and evoke positive emotions. Customizing these activities to relate to the person’s identity, past hobbies, and experiences can tap into their residual skills and memories.
Help Them Be Independent
Helping a person with dementia manage their condition with as much a degree of independence as possible is catering to their dignity as an individual. Caregivers, family, and friends should help the affected person do things for themselves rather than ‘taking over’. This increases the person’s well-being and helps maintain their dignity, confidence, and self-esteem. Never assume that the person is utterly incapable of doing things on their own or they cannot understand what is happening. It would help if you made them as involved in their daily routine as possible, and the following tips can achieve this.
- Do things together with the patient
- Focus on what they can do instead of what they can’t
- Allow ample time for tasks and encourage and motivate them when needed
- Break tasks into small steps
- Break down tasks into smaller steps.
- Focus on the process rather than the objective.
Flexibility and Patience
Managing and supporting someone with dementia relies on being flexible and patient. These virtues require caregivers to adapt to the unpredictable nature of the condition. You need to recognize that every day might bring a new challenge, and as a result, you need to be prepared mentally and physically. With dementia, you never know what to expect, so flexibility helps you navigate the ups and downs with resilience and a positive mindset.
Seek Professional Assistance
Caring for someone with dementia can be emotionally and physically demanding. Recognizing when to seek professional assistance is a crucial aspect of effective caregiving. Professional caregivers, home health aides, and assisted living facilities can provide the necessary support and respite for family caregivers, allowing them to maintain their wellbeing.
Self-Care for Caregivers
Dementia affects both patients and caregivers alike. Due to the challenges that come with supporting someone with dementia, a caregiver can often be stressed, hurt, angry and frustrated. To remain calm, and patient, you need to adopt your own routine of self-care, to keep you positive and in a healthy frame of mind.
Understanding and supporting a person with dementia is a journey that requires education, awareness, empathy, and adaptability. Recognizing its symptoms and its impact on victims and caregivers can create a more compassionate and supportive environment to ease the suffering. Embracing patience and flexibility and seeking professional assistance can help individuals lead a more dignified and better quality of life.
