Taking care of a loved one with dementia:
Helping families get a grip on the major responsibility of taking care of a loved one with dementia:
At Nazareth House, we provide specialised care in the field of Dementia and Alzheimers. When you receive the news of a loved one being diagnosed with Dementia, the news can be overwhelming, the advice out there not always very reliable, but one thing all can agree on is not to take this journey on by yourself. It does not mean you care less, or you abandon your loved one if you seek out professional care. In fact, that is the best and the responsible thing to do. At Nazareth House we have the trained staff, absolute passion and experience to take care of your loved one without causing even further trauma. It is a well-known fact that a person suffering from Alzheimers and Dementia will have severe mood swings, not because they are rude, but mostly because they are scared. For family member it can cause stress and anxiety, not knowing why their loved ones changed so drastically.
At Nazareth House, they become our family, we care like you would want to, we provide what you cannot with the help of specialized staff.
It’s indescribably painful to witness the deterioration of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, or any other type of dementia. As the disease progresses, we see minor forgetfulness gradually morph into severe impairment and eventually our loved one’s individuality itself is compromised.
Here are 10 tips on how to effectively communicate with someone who has moderate to severe dementia.
1. Recognize what you’re up against. Dementia inevitably gets worse with time. People with dementia will gradually have a more difficult time understanding others, as well as communicating in general.
2. Avoid distractions. Try to find a place and time to talk when there aren’t a lot of distractions present. This allows your loved one to focus all their mental energy on the conversation.
3. Speak clearly and naturally in a warm and calm voice. Refrain from ‘babytalk’ or any other kind of condescension.
4. Refer to people by their names. Avoid pronouns like “he,” “she,” and “they” during conversation. Names are also important when greeting a loved one with dementia. For example: “Hi, Grandma. It’s me, Jeff,” is to be preferred over, “Hi. It’s me.”
5. Talk about one thing at a time. Someone with dementia may not be able to engage in the mental juggling involved in maintaining a conversation with multiple threads.
6. Use nonverbal cues. For example, maintain eye contact and smile. This helps put your loved one at ease and will facilitate understanding. And when dementia is very advanced, nonverbal communication may be the only option available.
7. Listen actively. If you don’t understand something your loved one is telling you, politely let them know.
8. Don’t quibble. Your conversations are not likely to go very far if you try to correct every inaccurate statement your loved one makes. It’s okay to let delusions and misstatements go.
9. Have patience. Give your loved one extra time to process what you say. If you ask a question, give a moment to respond. Don’t let frustration get the better of you.
10. Understand there will be good days and bad days. While the general trend of dementia sufferers is a downward decline, people with dementia will have ups and downs just like anyone else.
For more information please contact Renate Bode
Relationship Manager
Relationship Manager
renate@nazhousesa.com
Cell: 066 221 6590
Cell: 066 221 6590
“They may forget what you said-but they will never forget how you made them feel”
Comments
Post a Comment