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November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Caregivers who understand the disease process of dementia or Alzheimer’s are better able to provide an environment that helps the person live as full a life as possible, while keeping the stress level at a minimum.
Practical Tips
Remember that everyday activities become more challenging and confusing to a person with dementia.
Daily Living
- Maintain old routines and make bathing relaxing – not a rush!
- Simplify the task by assisting as much as necessary. Don’t expect participation – even if yesterday they were willing. Every day is different.
- Assure safety to avoid falls. The person may be more frightened of getting into a tub or shower. A Safety assessment should be done regularly as the disease progresses.
- People with dementia do not tolerate the cold. Make sure the bathroom is warm.
Dressing
- Lay out clothes in the order they are to be put on.
- Avoid clothes with complicated fastenings.
- If the person has “favorites” they insist on wearing, buy multiples of the same garments.
- Assess foot wear to assure it provides support and safety as the disease progresses. Loose fitting slippers can be dangerous!
Incontinence
This is expected with Alzheimer’s. You may be accustomed to assisting with this, but the person with dementia may be frightened and embarrassed. They also may lose their ability to recognize when to go to the bathroom, forget where the toilet is or what to do when they are led there. Hand over hand assistance will be needed.
- Create a bathroom schedule.
- Leave the bathroom door opened so the toilet is visible.
- Make sure pants are easily pulled down.
- Assure adequate fluid intake!
Eating
People with dementia often forget they have eaten and demand more food or refuse to eat it’s traditional mealtime. They also may forget how to use utensils. Chewing and swallowing challenges will most likely arise as the disease progresses.
- Remind person how to eat
- Use FINGER FOODS as much as possible
- Assure diet consistency is reassessed regularly – You will observe concerns since you are with the person on a daily basis
- Serving one type of food at a time may be helpful
- Allow individual to eat what they WANT – make sure this is integrated in the person’s daily plan.
Sleeping
Restlessness and wandering are not uncommon at night for someone with Alzeheimer’s. This is not only a safety concern but can be disruptive to others. Lack of sleep can also cause behavioral challenges during the day.
- ABSOLUTELY discourage sleep during the day
- Assure daily long walks or add more physical activity to the day
- Assess what makes the person is comfortable in their room as well as what might bother them
Delusions and hallucinations
These are not uncommon with Alzheimer’s. A delusion is a fixed false belief – such as believing someone wants to harm him/her or that someone is stealing from them. The delusions are VERY real to the person with dementia. Hallucinations are seeing things or hearing things that are not there.
- Don’t argue with the person about what is real or not
- Give comfort with a calm voice and gentle touch to an agitated or frightened him or her
- Distract from the delusion or hallucination by drawing attention to something else
- Remove unnecessary furniture or items that can cause hallucinations in the dark
Violence and aggression
These occur due to a loss of control, loss of ability to understand their environment and loss of ability to understand actions of others around them. Also, the sense of realizing something is happening to them that is causing loss of control can cause anxiety that leads to aggression.
- If a person has been moved to a different residence, expect to see increased anxiety and aggression due to their inability to understand who the strange people are and what this strange environment is all about. THIS IS VERY SCARY FOR THE DEMENTIA PATIENT.
- Give the person space and stay calm!
- Search for what is causing the trauma so you can find solutions and avoid future issues.
Shelley VanLare is a former Registered Nurse at The Arc of Monroe. We hope this blog is helpful to you! Our Health Services team at The Arc of Monroe is a wealth of information. Our staff is made up of experienced professionals who primarily support people with disabilities. To learn more about who they are, visit our Health Services page. If you’re interested in working with us at The Arc of Monroe, visit our careers page. If you’d like to give and help make valuable resources like this possible, you can give online.