Caring For a Loved one with Dementia Caring for a loved one with dementia comes with challenges for families and caregivers. People with dementia from conditions such as Alzheimer’s or other diseases have a progressive biological brain disorder that makes it 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 behavior. There are strategies for dealing with the troubling behavior problems and communication difficulties encountered when caring for a person with dementia. Tips for Communicating with a Person with Dementia Learning how to help a loved one with dementia is important. Improving your communication …show more content…
Your attitude and body language communicate your feelings and thoughts more strongly than your words. Set a positive mood when speaking to your loved one. Be pleasant and respectful, use facial expressions, tone of voice, and physical touch to help convey your message. Get the person’s attention. Limit distractions and noise. Before speaking, make sure you have their attention; address them by name, identify yourself by name and relation, and use nonverbal cues and touch to help keep them focused. Get down to their level and maintain eye contact. State your message clearly. Use simple words and sentences. Speak slowly, distinctly, with a reassuring tone. Refrain from raising your voice higher or louder; instead, pitch your voice lower. If they don't understand the first time, use the same wording to repeat your message. If they still doesn’t understand, wait a few minutes and rephrase yourself. Use the names of people and places instead of pronouns such as he, she or they. Ask simple, answerable questions. Ask one question at a time. Questions with yes or no answers work best. Refrain from asking open-ended questions or giving too many choices. Visual prompts and cues also help clarify your question and can guide a
Dementia is common among a large population of elderly people. The disease affects not only the individual diagnosed, but also the caregivers that work towards making their life comfortable in the end. Understanding and learning about the disease is crucial in helping those that experience or live with someone who has dementia. The services and support that are currently in affect for elderly people with dementia and the caregivers is poor, and ineffective because of the lack of research and information on the topic.
3.2 list different techniques that can be used to facilitate positive interactions with an individual with dementia
(Davidson, F. G.) Due to the nature of dementia being a neuropsychological disorder, those affected by the disease tend to look like they will not require much care, which, in reality, they often require more care than the caregiver originally expected, leading to stress and burnout. Another effect caused by this can be the caregiver blaming themselves by feeling like they are failing to give proper care, which, in reality, can often be very far from the truth. If the caregiver does not receive help from anyone else, the task of watching over the victim becomes a daunting twenty for hour task. Sometimes, the caregiver won’t be allowed quality sleep. Over 66 percent of home caregivers suffer from some form of psychological or physical illness. The most common illness that is resulted from giving care to Alzheimer’s disease is depression. The caregiver needs to monitor their emotional well-being as well as the well-being as the person that they are giving care to. Usually, giving care to those with dementia is actually more stressful than giving care to those with cancer. When the caregiver is a family member and not a professional, the emotional toll is often even greater. It is important for caregivers to remember that they need to take care of themselves first and
I’ve always have struggling with understand the prompt and answering it fully, I have taught myself to type what pops in and head and edit as I go, usually it takes me twenty or so minutes to ponder just enough to kick start me into
Dementia is the loss of a person’s mental skills from their daily routines. The symptoms of dementia could easily be over looked, they include forgetting things, daily routines are hard to complete, misplacing things, depression, aggravation and aggression, emotion are high, even feeling like someone is a threat to their life (Web MD,2012). Caring for someone with dementia can be difficult if with resources like healthcare, living facilities, nursing homes and medicine is involved, but sometimes healthcare and facilities do not provide the proper care. This disease is very common in the elderly community past the age of sixty-five. Finding out that a loved
The communication will need to be adapted depending on the situation and the environment that the adults and children are in. For example in my setting when I have dealt with child’s behavior I have to use a firmer voice and my facial expressions change to a sad face so that understand the situation. Another example is praising a child’s achievement and I changed the tone of my voice and facial expression.
Dementia is classified in three stages. In each stage there are various things caregivers and family members can do to improve the life of their demented loved one. Throughout all three stages of dementia it is important for family members to keep in touch with their loved one. This will make the demented patient feel a sense of belonging and importance. Patients may also benefit from stories, pictures, trinkets, and documents that remind them of the
McCarthy, B., 2011. Hearing the Person with Dementia: Person-centred Approaches to Communication for Families and Caregivers. [Online]
Younger individuals may be in work still at the time of diagnosis, have young children to depend on them, have financial commitments. Younger individuals find it harder to accept help and support so rely on family and friends, but with this that support may not be available as their family and friends are young so have their own life’s, they may still be in work/education.
Caring for dementia involves a lot of patience and understanding. It should be dealt with audacity and flawlessness to ensure the vulnerable adults’ well-being. Aiding at home or care home required carers to be at their best, physically and emotionally. The responsibility can be distressing but it is rewarding as well since helping dementia adults in their day to day activities is a significant matter for them. However, carers need a pause as over duty can result to substandard nursing. The big question is: who take care for the carers of people with dementia?
Key words such as closed and open questions are very well explained. Differentiating when to use each type of question is described and useful for facilitating an interactive dialogue. It is important to understand how to assist the patient in relaying important details and to ensure that what the patient has expressed is understood.
Communication is something we all humans use. Communication “is the sharing of information between individuals by using speech”. People have ways of communicating some have their weaknesses in conversations and others have their strengths. When I communicate with others I feel that some things I say I do not verbalize right. I have two strengths and three weaknesses in my communicating. My three weakens in my communication are, check nonverbal feedback, to make people wrong and recognize that people understand information in different ways and my two strengths in my communication are being flexible, and take responsibility for the communication.
...e any conflict is to become calm an effective communicator. Reinforcing your listening skills are a must when looking to further your communication skills. Let’s face it you want to listen well before setting a plan of action. Never jump into any conversation unprepared, not only can it cause conflict but you can lose credibility if the meaning of what you are trying to say is lost. Verbal communication is always best, talking to another individual face to face is a good idea this way you can judge their reactions by their body language and you can express the correct meaning. But, remember that verbal is not the only form of communication. Your nonverbal communication can say a lot to the receiver (ie. body language). Use supportive messages rather than defensive ones can be more productive. Any conflict can be resolved through correct and effective communication.
Use communication skills effectively, use active listening by listening to the other person and paying close attention to what they are saying, asking questions and rephrasing what the person says to ensure understanding.
Communication is one of the most important factors in our lives. It dictates the relationships formed with the individuals in personal and professional lives. Effective communication provides a foundation for trust and respect to grow. It also helps better understand a person and the context of the conversation. Individuals often believe that their communication skills are much better than what they actually are. Communication appears effortless; however, much of what two people discuss gets misunderstood, thus leading to conflicts and distress. To communicate effectively, one must understand the emotion behind the information being said. Knowing how to communicate effectively can improve relationships one has at home, work and in social affairs. Understanding communication skills such as; listening, non-verbal communication and managing stress can help better the relationships one has with others.