{"id":441,"date":"2019-12-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/uncategorized\/your-actions-are-crucial-in-providing-great-dementia-care\/"},"modified":"2019-12-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T00:00:00","slug":"your-actions-are-crucial-in-providing-great-dementia-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/your-actions-are-crucial-in-providing-great-dementia-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Actions are Crucial in Providing Great Dementia Care"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Posted by Steve Jones<\/p>\n

\tWatching your parent decline from worsening dementia is heartbreaking.
\nAlzheimers is one of about fifty varieties of dementia, and depending
\nupon the type of dementia and the area of damage in the brain, you will
\nsee a variety of symptoms and changes.<\/p>\n

Except for some major physical and behavioral markers, there is no way
\nto predict how your loved one will suffer from this disease or how fast
\nthey will decline. Therefore, dementia care is an ongoing process of learning
\nto provide the care needed which will help you cope and prevent burnout.<\/p>\n

Declining Memory<\/h2>\n

Their Behavior<\/h3>\n

The rule of thumb is that short-term memories and those with little emotional
\nrelevance are the first to go: a phone call 15 minutes ago, where the
\nclean clothes were put, how to work the new stove, remembering to take
\na bath. Long-term memories that do have an emotional component are retained
\nthe longest, but most times folks will need a prompting reminder.<\/p>\n

Your Action<\/h3>\n

If your loved one becomes anguished by their inability to recognize something
\nthey know they should remember,
\nchange the subject<\/strong>. People with dementia are easily distractible, and its best to
\ndo that with something you know will make them smile.<\/p>\n

Get used to the fact that you will need to constantly remind your loved
\none of just about everything. Learning to accept this reality will reduce
\nyour irritation with them. Talk to your loved one calmly without barking
\norders, giving one piece of instruction at a time. Wait for the completion
\nof that task before giving them the next instruction. Never give choices.
\nThey will always do better following your stepwise direction. Its
\nbetter to say, Lets go get you a shower, than Do
\nyou want a shower or a bath?<\/p>\n

Delusions and Hallucinations<\/h2>\n

Their Behavior<\/h3>\n

A common theme is the accusation that someone is stealing from them. This
\nusually happens because they cant find what they are looking for
\nor cant remember what belongs to them. Many times they will believe
\nthey saw someone or something hiding near them. These situations will
\ncause them to become distraught.<\/p>\n

Your Action<\/h3>\n

Always show them you are taking their concerns seriously. Let them see
\nyou search for what they think they have lost or think they have seen
\nwill calm them down and make it easier for you to distract and redirect
\nthem to another topic or activity.<\/p>\n

Constant Pacing or Walking<\/h2>\n

Your Action<\/h3>\n

Dont try to stop them, rather find a safe place for them to continue
\nthis activity. Many times this behavior is self-calming. If you find this
\nactivity occurs at night, consider their lifetime sleep habits before
\ntrying to make them stay in bed.<\/p>\n

Agitation<\/h2>\n

Their Behavior<\/h3>\n

Many times, physical problems can be the cause of unwanted behaviors. A
\nheadache, toothache or even or ingrown toenail are examples of painful
\nsituations that will be expressed as agitation. Look for telltale signs
\nsuch as holding their hand to their head, putting fingers in their mouth,
\nor kicking their shoe off.<\/p>\n

Your Action<\/h3>\n

Your body language and attitude is the most important tool. Keep your attitude
\npositive and loving with a genuine smile. Keep background noise to a minimum,
\nsuch as the TV or radio, when you are talking. They are so sensitive to
\nloud sounds, it alone can cause unwanted behaviors.<\/p>\n

Take your loved one to the bathroom on a schedule of every 2 hours which
\nwill prevent incontinence and the agitation associated with their discomfort
\nand unrecognized need to void.<\/p>\n

It is a distressing loss to watch your parent or spouse change into what
\nseems like a different person, many times losing all connection with them
\nby the end. The best dementia care means not trying to change the person,
\nbut rather provide a loving, safe and supportive environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted by Steve Jones Watching your parent decline from worsening dementia is heartbreaking. Alzheimers is one of about fifty varieties of dementia, and depending upon the type of dementia and the area of damage in the brain, you will see a variety of symptoms and changes. Except for some major physical and behavioral markers, there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-toronto-on","tag-dementia-alzheimers"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1.jpg",424,283,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1.jpg",424,283,false],"large":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1.jpg",424,283,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1.jpg",424,283,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/09\/Adult-Child-with-Mom-1.jpg",424,283,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/author\/"},"uagb_comment_info":14,"uagb_excerpt":"Posted by Steve Jones Watching your parent decline from worsening dementia is heartbreaking. Alzheimers is one of about fifty varieties of dementia, and depending upon the type of dementia and the area of damage in the brain, you will see a variety of symptoms and changes. Except for some major physical and behavioral markers, there…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualicare.com\/toronto-on\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}