Reminiscing Can Help Patients Relive And Remember Their Life Pre
The brain is an amazing thing, and sadly when dementia sets in, it becomes difficult for those with it to remember their past lives. But things like smells, sounds, stories, and visualizations can help trigger those lost memories. Reintroducing those triggers or just talking with them can help unlock so many things, boost their mood, and be very therapeutic.
Watch Old Movies Or Tv They Used To Love
What was grandmas favorite movie? Chances are you can find it on Netflix or Amazon Prime and watch it together. Not only will they enjoy the movie, but they might also remember things about it that they forgot. The same goes for TV showswatch an episode or two of their favorite show from when they were younger.
Reminiscing Activities For Dementia Patients At Home
Reminiscence therapy uses sensory or visual cues from the past to help seniors reconnect with positive memories. Instead of asking direct questions that could be confusing or stressful, try gentle guidance. For example, if youre looking at childhood photos, ask generally about growing up rather than where an image was taken.
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Gardening Or Being Outside
Does your loved one have a green thumb? They may not be able to mow the lawn or till a field like they used to, but there are still ways to bring the great outdoors to them.
Buy a small pot and seeds for your loved one to plant. Fill their space with plants and work together to water them every day. If youd rather, spend the day in a community garden or courtyard and enjoy the sunshine together. Being outside has numerous benefits for seniors and is a great activity for patients with dementia.
What Is Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease is a chronic and progressive condition characterized by the decline of cognitive functions such as reasoning, remembering and planning. It affects people in different ways no two individuals will experience exactly the same progression of the disease. A person’s personality, health and social situation are all important factors that influence the impact of dementia.
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Caregiving In The Late Stages Of Alzheimers Or Dementia
As Alzheimers or another dementia reaches the late stages, your loved one will likely require 24-hour care. They may be unable to walk or handle any personal care, have difficulty eating, be vulnerable to infections, and no longer able to express their needs. Problems with incontinence, mood, hallucinations, and delirium are also very common.
In your role as caregiver, youll likely be combining these new challenges with managing painful feelings of grief and loss and making difficult end-of-life decisions. You may even be experiencing relief that your loved ones long struggle is drawing to an end, or guilt that youve somehow failed as a caregiver. As at the other stages of your caregiving journey, its important to give yourself time to adjust, grieve your losses, and gain acceptance.
Since the caregiving demands are so extensive in the later stages, it may no longer be possible for you to provide the necessary care for your loved one alone. If the patient needs total support for routine activities such as bathing, dressing, or turning, you may not be strong enough to handle them on your own. Or you may feel that youre unable to ease their pain or make them as comfortable youd like. In such cases, you may want to consider moving them to a care facility such as a nursing home, where they can receive high levels of both custodial and medical care.
Tips For Everyday Care For People With Dementia
Early on in Alzheimers and related dementias, people experience changes in thinking, remembering, and reasoning in a way that affects daily life and activities. Eventually, people with these diseases will need more help with simple, everyday tasks. This may include bathing, grooming, and dressing. It may be upsetting to the person to need help with such personal activities. Here are a few tips to consider early on and as the disease progresses:
- Try to keep a routine, such as bathing, dressing, and eating at the same time each day.
- Help the person write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.
- Plan activities that the person enjoys and try to do them at the same time each day.
- Consider a system or reminders for helping those who must take medications regularly.
- When dressing or bathing, allow the person to do as much as possible.
- Buy loose-fitting, comfortable, easy-to-use clothing, such as clothes with elastic waistbands, fabric fasteners, or large zipper pulls instead of shoelaces, buttons, or buckles.
- Use a sturdy shower chair to support a person who is unsteady and to prevent falls. You can buy shower chairs at drug stores and medical supply stores.
- Be gentle and respectful. Tell the person what you are going to do, step by step while you help them bathe or get dressed.
- Serve meals in a consistent, familiar place and give the person enough time to eat.
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Activities To Stay Socially Engaged
- Join a dementia-friendly exercise class.
- Invite friends over for tea or snacks.
- See if there is a memory café in your community.
- Plan a video call with a group of friends.
- Join a book club together or start your own with friends and family.
- Host a family game night.
Learn more about the importance of staying socially connected for health and well-being as we age.
Why Is It Important To Keep Dementia Patients Engaged In Daily Activities
A daily routine with healthy activities is important for seniors of any age and especially vital for dementia patients. As dementia worsens over time, the person will find it more difficult to focus and struggle to learn new things. Having a routine in place early on helps give them structure that they find familiar. Additional benefits of having a routine that incorporates engaging activities for a loved one with dementia include:
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Repetitive Speech Or Actions
People with dementia will often repeat a word, statement, question, or activity over and over. While this type of behavior is usually harmless for the person with dementia, it can be annoying and stressful to caregivers. Sometimes the behavior is triggered by anxiety, boredom, fear, or environmental factors.
- Provide plenty of reassurance and comfort, both in words and in touch.
- Try distracting with a snack or activity.
- Avoid reminding them that they just asked the same question. Try ignoring the behavior or question, and instead try refocusing the person into an activity such as singing or âhelpingâ you with a chore.
- Donât discuss plans with a confused person until immediately prior to an event.
- You may want to try placing a sign on the kitchen table, such as, âDinner is at 6:30â or âLois comes home at 5:00â to remove anxiety and uncertainty about anticipated events.
- Learn to recognize certain behaviors. An agitated state or pulling at clothing, for example, could indicate a need to use the bathroom.
Don’t Assume They Choose To Be Difficult
In the later stages of the disease, people with Alzheimers will sometimes lash out for no obvious reason. This can manifest with screaming, cursing, insults, pushing, hitting, and throwing things. As much as the attack may seem directed at you, they’re usually not.
No one can really say why these outbursts occur, but it is thought that they represent frustrations or fears that cannot be communicated in a rational or cohesive way.
The causes are many and may include:
- The inability to articulate physical or emotional pain
- Changes in the environment that cause confusion
- Feelings of isolation or that you are being ignored
- Feelings that they are not being understood
- The loss of control and being forced to do what you don’t want to do
- Not being able to make sense of what’s going on around you
Rather than taking the attacks personally, it is best to step back and try to identify the triggers that set off the outburst. By doing so, you may be better able to avoid future outbursts and, in turn, improve the quality of life of your loved one.
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More Ways To Stay Active And Involved At Home More Ways To Stay Active And Involved At Home
Keeping in touch with people using technology Keeping in touch with people using technology.
Coronavirus made it more difficult to visit friends and family in person. However, there are many ways to keep in touch with people virtually from your home.
Devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones offer many great ways to communicate with other people.
You can use them to:
- send emails and different types of instant messages
- make video calls, such as on Skype and Zoom
- share and connect with people on social media, such as , and
- join online communities, such as Talking Point
- play online games with others.
Touchscreen technology such as tablets and smartphones can be easier to use than desktop computers. If youre not sure about how to use these devices, a friend or family member might be able to help you.
Talk With A Senior Living Advisor
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Listen To Music And Sing Along
Listening to a favorite song can be calming, and singing along can be fun for both you and your loved one. If either one of you doesnt know the words, print them out and have them in front of you. Or, just sit back and relax to the tunes.
As you are completing these activities, remember that the focus shouldnt be on the end result, but on the activity itself. Your loved one should enjoy what theyre doing. If they dont, its OK to move on to a different one. You should also keep in mind what stage of the disease your loved one is in, and adjust the activitys difficulty accordingly.
The most important part of this is your time. Spending time with your loved one and engaging them as much as you can will be the best thing for them.
To learn how a Continuing Care Retirement Community can enrich your loved one’s life, below.
About Stephen Juliano
As the Digital Marketing Manager at Presbyterian Senior Living, Stephen spends his day curating and editing blog posts, images, videos and other content to share on PSL’s website and social media sites.
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Senior Services Of America Offers Resident
Whether you are currently looking for memory care for a loved one or are preparing for the future, Senior Services of America is ready to assist you.
Our senior living facilities range from independent living communities to memory care facilities. Our goal is to support you and your loved ones unique needs in any way we can.
Senior Services of America is here to be part of your care team in your loved ones journey. Find your nearest community to see how we can assist you with navigating this important part of life.
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Dementia Care Tips From A Caregiver Who Understands
Patricia McMorrow | 04.04.19
Rosalie Wosepka of St. Paul, MN, used writing and storytelling to document her journey alongside her husband, John, helping him to navigate in the world after he was diagnosed, first with Parkinsons, and eventually with Lewy body dementia.
Words became an unexpectedly powerful healing force, helping Rosalie to pour her thoughts and feelings into a journala vessel that would receive them without judgment, no matter how raw they might be.
Writing helped Rosalie think about lessons and learnings that came from being a caregiver.
Some days she could only rail at the unfairness of dementia. Other days, she felt able to step back and think about the lessons received.
Thinking of her frequent travels with John, and her role as navigator in this new phase of their lives, Rosalie actually put a title on to one of her journals: Altered Course.
Here, Rosalie shares advice with caregivers and others facing their own altered course:
Plan Ahead For Outings
Here are some tips to make outings fun:
- Plan outings for the time of day when the person with Alzheimer’s is at his or her best.
- Keep outings from becoming too long. Take note of how tired the person gets after a certain amount of time. Bring the person home before he or she becomes overtired.
- Use a business-size card to tell others about the person’s disease. Sharing this information with store clerks or restaurant staff can make outings more comfortable for everyone. For example, the card could say “My family member has Alzheimer’s disease. He might say or do things that are unexpected. Thank you for your understanding.”
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Prepare A Safe Working Area
People with dementia often have difficulty with visual perception and coordination. Ensure that surfaces are uncluttered with few distractions and noise. Good lighting, without glare, individual seat preferences and correct work heights are all important. If necessary, using plastic containers might help to avoid breakages.
Watch Movies With Them
Watch comedies, musicals, or sitcoms with your loved one as they will be a good source of entertainment without having to follow a complicated plot. You can also have them rewatch their favorite films and classics so their past memories may be revived. This is an easy activity to do with people with dementia. Dont forget the popcorn!
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Getting Started On An Exercise Program
Suggestions to start an exercise program for a person with dementia include:
- Talk with the persons doctor and organise a full medical check-up. Other health conditions, such as arthritis or high blood pressure, may limit the types of exercises the person with dementia can safely perform.
- A physiotherapist can design an exercise program that takes the persons current health and abilities into account.
- Start slowly. For example, perhaps five minutes of continuous exercise is all the person can manage at first. Over a period of months, add one extra minute at a time until the person can comfortably exercise for 30 minutes.
- Demonstrate the activity yourself and ask the person to follow your lead.
- Boredom kills off motivation, so mix up the activities to keep it interesting.
Do Make Sure That The Dementia Patient Gets Enough Rest Food And Water
Fatigue, hunger and thirst may cause combativeness. Ensure that the person with dementia is well fed, hydrates enough, and gets adequate sleep and rest. In line with this, they should also have enough bathroom breaks. Research also shows that it may help to reduce loud noises as well as clutter in the space where the patient spends most of his/her time, as both loud noises and clutter tend to over-stimulate people with dementia.
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Do Try To Be Forgiving And Patient
Do not forget that dementia is the condition that results in irrational behavior and causes dementia sufferers to act the way they do. The patients demand plenty of patience and forgiveness from the people looking after them. Have the heart to let things go instead of carrying grudges around for something that the patient may not be in control of.
Activities To Do With People With Dementia
by Kathryn Watson | Sep 15, 2022 | Dementia, Dementia Activities
Individuals suffering from dementia frequently feel annoyed due to boredom and lack of excitement, which is why it is important to provide people with dementia with engaging and enjoyable activities to help them during this difficult phase. Finding activities to do with people with dementia may feel challenging but the ideas below will help.
They can stay upbeat and avoid depression by engaging in engaging activities, which can reduce anxiety and irritation.
Activities should be able to:
- Bring back memories and give them a chance to reflect on their life
- Develop emotional ties with those around you social interaction is essential.
- Help develop self-expression
- Make them experience greater life engagement
- Assist them in feeling productive
If your loved one suffers from dementia, keep reading to find out about 12 activities you can do with them.
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