Looking after someone with dementia comes with many challenges. Here are some suggestions that would help caregivers to look after their cared ones and themselves.
Daily Activities:
- Keep a set and predictable routine with fixed timings for activities like bathing, eating etc.
- Use deep spoons/plates and bowls to facilitate eating. Substitute zips and buttons with elastic or Velcro to make dressing easier. Use slip-on sandals.
- Incorporate a physical activity like a walk downstairs, or doing simple household chores like folding clothes or chopping vegetables, or yoga and stretching.
- Use external aids that compensate for their impairments e.g., remind them to check the calendar, use prepared task lists or write in their memory notebook.
- Initiative and interest are both impacted by dementia. So, try and plan an activity for your cared one of their liking, and participate in it with them, so that they feel encouraged to do the activity.
- Break down complex tasks into a series of steps to make them more manageable. Use visual cues or verbal reminders to assist them through the steps.
- Have quiet times planned in the day’s schedule along with other activities that would give them and you a break.
Communication Strategies:
- Avoid questioning, nagging or correcting them. Provide cues, encouragement, and positive reinforcement.
- Talk in a brief, direct and gentle manner. Keep sentences short. Engage in non-verbal gestures like eye contact, soft touch, smiling, patting.
- Limit distractions while communicating. Ensure their full attention. Repeat if needed.
- Ask questions that address their opinions or emotions instead of facts. E.g. instead of asking “do you remember what you had for lunch today?” you could ask “did you enjoy the pav bhaji we had?”
- Ask them close ended questions like a yes/no, and encourage them to choose.
Home Safety & Hazard Management:
- Add signage into the house like a board on the bathroom door or a checklist near the door of the things to take while leaving the house.
- Stairs – add a handrail; mark edges with brightly coloured tape; anti-skid surfaces; bathrooms with slip-proof tiles and handrails or support rods.
- Adequate lighting, clear pathways, minimum clutter.
- Remove or lock up dangerous cleaning and household products which shouldn’t be consumed by mistake.
- Use locks, barriers or child-safety measures to prevent wandering. If the problem is persistent, try ID bracelets or sewing labels on their clothes or digital device worn by them for GPS tracking.
Dementia care and management is challenging. Look after your own physical and mental health too. Don’t bear the caregiving burden alone. Come speak with our team of mental health professionals and we can help address the issues more effectively!