• Dementia: What can you do?

"What should I do?" (Credit: roseannepage.deviantart.com)

As we now know from the previous pages that dementia is a permanent neurological disease in the brain that will eventually destroy the patient's brain cells that involved speech, behavior and cognitive thinking. So what can we do as a family member or as a friend to aid and maximize the help that is already given by doctors and medications? After all, watching a loved one being gradually overwhelmed by dementia can trigger the feeling of hopelessness in us as a family member or as a close friend. 

"Remember: The dementia patient is not giving you a hard time,

the dementia patient is having a hard time". - Caregivers West Rand

Caring for a loved one with dementia can be exhausting and at times, frustrating. There will be words that will be spoken by a patient that can be hurtful. Perhaps once or twice will be easy to deal with, but what if it occurs every day and every hour? What can we do to remain calm and collected as we try our best to help them feel better?

Here are some of the ways we can help ourselves and those with dementia:

1. Take care of yourself 
• Monitor and look after your emotional state and your needs 
• Give yourself a few minutes each day to avoid burnout
• Join a support group or a club that allows you and other members to share and learn from each other's experience that can help make it easier in caring for your loved ones
2. Knowledge is power
• Careful researching about dementia can help us recognize the symptoms and understand better of the struggles your loved ones with dementia may be going through
• It also allows us to understand that although a person with dementia does not remember certain memories, they do remember how you make them feel 
3. Quick to listen, slow to speak 
• Understand that the disease of dementia is responsible for the change in their mood and personality 
• Refrain from arguing with your loved ones as the words that they say can be hurtful and unnecessary 
• Keep in mind that this is not the change of personality but that the disease is progressing
4. Maintain a daily routine 
• As the disease progress, your loved ones will find it extremely challenging to carrying out his or her daily routines so it would be better to fix one 
• Refrain from doing everything for your loved ones and allow them the independence in carrying out their tasks or do it with them 
• This helps in eliminating confusion and frustration for your loved ones
5. Methods of connections
• Do everything you can to connect with your loved ones to keep them active in mind and body
• Reading and doing art can help stimulate certain memories and help them remember
• A touch on the arm, a hug or a kiss on the cheek will mean a lot to them
• Remember the good ol' days and hold on to the memory of who your loved ones used to be before the progression of the disease. 

Learn more at https://www.caregiver.org/caregivers-guide-understanding-dementia-behaviors

References

Sauer., A. (2019). 20 Things to Remember if you Love Someone with Dementia. Retrieved from https://www.alzheimers.net/2-11-15-loving-someone-with-dementia/

Family Caregiver Alliance. (2019). Caregivers’ Guide to Understanding Dementia Behaviours. Retrieved from https://www.caregiver.org/caregivers-guide-understanding-dementia-behaviors

Alzheimer’s Society. (2015). How to Help People with Dementia: A Guide for Customer-Facing Staff. Retrieved from https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/migrate/downloads/how_to_help_people_with_dementia_a_guide_for_customer-facing_staff.pdf