What is dementia?
Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life. It isn’t a specific disease, but several diseases can cause dementia.
Though dementia generally involves memory loss, memory loss has different causes. Having memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia, although it’s often one of the early signs of the condition.
How we manage patients with dementia @ LTMS
Caring for a loved one with dementia poses many challenges for families. People with dementia from conditions such as Alzheimer’s and related diseases have a progressive biological brain disorder that makes it more and more difficult for them to remember things, think clearly, communicate with others, and take care of themselves. In addition, dementia can cause mood swings and even change a person’s personality and behaviour.
- Our medical team provides a trained and qualified caregiver or personnel to our clients or patient depending on the decision of the client’s relative to help manage our client with dementia under our supervision and monitoring
- Our caregivers create a good rapport with our clients and also set a positive mood by speaking to our clients pleasantly and respectfully using facial expression, tone of voice and physical touch to help convey our message and also show our feelings of affection
- Our caregivers try their possible best to get our client’s attention before speaking to them by maintaining eye contact and using non-verbal cues and touch to help keep them focused sometimes we advise our caregivers to limit distractions and noise—turn off the radio or TV, close the curtains or shut the door, or move to quieter surroundings. Before speaking to them.
- Our medical team challenge the brain of our clients or patient by revisiting a hobby they have always loved and are still able to do, like enjoying music, playing the piano or going to church services if they had a long-time place of worship and sometimes we engage them on some games without getting them frustrated
- Our caregivers try their possible best to state our message clearly to the client or patient within our care by using simple words and sentences, speaking slowly, distinctly, and in a reassuring tone. We also refrain from raising our voice higher or louder, instead, we pitch our voice lower. If she doesn’t understand the first time, we use the same wording to repeat our message or question. If she still doesn’t understand, we wait a few minutes and rephrase the question using the names of people and places.
- Our caregivers ask our clients simple and answerable questions by asking one question at a time; most especially, yes or no answers work best. We refrain from asking open-ended questions or giving too many choices. For example, we ask, “Would you like to wear your white shirt or your blue shirt?” Better still, show her the choices—visual prompts and cues also help clarify our question and can guide our client’s response.
- Our caregivers listen with our ears, eyes, and heart. We are always patient in waiting for our client’s reply. If she is struggling for an answer, we suggest words for them. We also watch for nonverbal cues and body language from the client and respond appropriately. We always strive to listen for the meaning and feelings that underlie the words.
- Our caregivers break down activities into a series of steps. This makes many tasks much more manageable. We encourage our clients to do what he or they can. We gently remind him of steps he tends to forget and also assist with steps he’s no longer able to accomplish on his own. Using visual cues, such as showing him with our hand where to place the dinner plate, can be very helpful.
- Our caregivers distract and redirect our clients when they are upset or agitated. We try changing the subject or the environment. For example, we ask him or her for help or suggest going for a walk. It is important to connect with the person on a feeling level before we redirect. We might say, “I see you’re feeling sad—I’m sorry you’re upset. Let’s go get something to eat.”
- Our caregivers respond with affection and reassurance. People with dementia often feel confused, anxious, and unsure of themselves. Further, they often get reality confused and may recall things that never really occurred. We avoid trying to convince them they are wrong. We stay focused on the feelings they are showing (which are real) and we respond with verbal and physical expressions of comfort, support, and reassurance. Sometimes holding hands, touching, hugging, and praising will get the person to respond when all else fails.
- Our caregivers try remembering our client of the good old days. Remembering the past is often a soothing and affirming activity. Many people with dementia may not remember what happened 45 minutes ago, but they can recall their lives 45 years earlier. Therefore, we avoid asking questions that rely on short-term memory, such as asking the person what they had for lunch. Instead, we try asking general questions about the person’s distant past—this information is more likely to be retained by the client.
- Our medical team tries to maintain our sense of humour: we use humour whenever possible, though not at the person’s expense. People with dementia tend to retain their social skills and are usually delighted to laugh along with us.
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