How Can I Support Someone With Dementia Towards The End Of Life
Knowing the person will make it easier to provide person-centred care that is focused on what they need and want. It can help to know about their likes, dislikes and their wishes for how they want to be cared for. If the person is not able to tell you about themselves, speak to their family, friends or other people who know them well.
Its a good idea to find out if the person has a copy of This is me , a document that records information about themselves. If you cannot speak to the person, ask those close to them if they have a copy. They may have these details recorded in their care plan.
There are many ways to support someone with dementia at the end of life.
Is That When You Found Out You Had Dementia
They said that I had abnormal perfusion of the right basal ganglia cells and the right temporal lobe. They said I could possibly have frontal temporal dementia.
So my family doctor gave me a referral to the Toronto Memory Program and I met with a neurologist. Dementia isnt a specific disease there are just a whole bunch of symptoms and theyre put under the same umbrella. Dementia is related to Alzheimers and people often confuse them. The neurologist didnt use any of these words, but I had read how dementia had no cure. I figured I had about six to nine years and that I should get my affairs in order.
Do You Get Lost In Familiar Places
Losing the way while driving, walking or taking public transportation to a new place is normal. So is getting so absorbed in your journey that you have to reorient yourself to figure out exactly where you are.
Whats not: Driving or walking for a long time without realizing youre lost or completely forgetting where you are, and not asking for help in these situation could be a sign of dementia, Yasar says. You may also forget how you got to a new location, become easily disoriented in familiar places, or lose the ability to read a map or follow landmarks and traffic signs.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Dementia Towards The End Of Life
Dementia is progressive, which means it gets worse over time. In the last year of life, its likely to have a big impact on the persons abilities including memory, communication and everyday activities. The speed at which someone will get worse will depend on the type of dementia they have and who they are as an individual.
Tip : Take Steps To Slow The Advancement Of Symptoms
Even when youve been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease or dementia, there is still a great deal that you can do to slow its progress. The same healthy lifestyle changes and mental stimulation techniques that are used to prevent or delay the onset of dementia can also be effective in slowing the progression of the disease and maintaining your independence for longer.
1. Get moving. Regular exercise stimulates the brains ability to maintain old connections, make new ones, and slow deterioration of your cognitive abilities.
2. Reach out to others. The more you connect face-to-face with others, the more you engage socially, the better your cognitive function will be.
3. Eat well. Eating a brain-healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, can help reduce inflammation, protect neurons, and promote better communication between brain cells.
4. Seek mental stimulation. By continuing to learn new things and challenge your brain, you can strengthen your cognitive skills and stay mentally active for longer.
5. Improve your sleep. Getting quality sleep can flush out brain toxins and avoid the build-up of damaging plaques.
6. Manage stress. Unchecked stress takes a heavy toll on the brain, shrinking a key memory area, hampering nerve cell growth, and worsening Alzheimers symptoms. Relaxation practices and other stress management techniques can help you ease the tension and regain control.
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Look Into Their World
Dementia Live allows you to understand what it might feel like to live with dementia. That insight creates empathy and compassion, which makes it easier to look into the world of someone with dementia.
Instead of brushing off feelings as a normal part of dementia, we can look into their world and see it through their eyes. Anger, frustration, and confusion may make up some of their everyday lives and we can adopt different approaches and techniques to help them cope.
True person-centred care considers the needs of the person with dementia. Most carers understand this and the Dementia Live experience opens a new door to care.
This person must be treated as a person. You cant just say shes got dementia, its behavioural, Ms Gardener said. If there are symptoms that need to be addressed, then its up to professional caregivers to determine what that unmet need is, what has caused it, and determine how to alleviate that as much as is humanly possible.
The Dementia Live experience is available in a three hour event, or as one-day practitioner training for use in facilities, communities or professional practices.
You can find out more about Dementia Live by contacting Sue Silcox on 0402 319 361 or , or visit the Brainsparks website.
Image: Participants in a Dementia Live training course .
Stage : Age Associated Memory Impairment
This stage features occasional lapses of memory most frequently seen in:
- Forgetting where one has placed an object
- Forgetting names that were once very familiar
Oftentimes, this mild decline in memory is merely normal age-related cognitive decline, but it can also be one of the earliest signs of degenerative dementia. At this stage, signs are still virtually undetectable through clinical testing. Concern for early onset of dementia should arise with respect to other symptoms.
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Symptoms Specific To Frontotemporal Dementia
Although Alzheimer’s disease is still the most common type of dementia in people under 65, a higher percentage of people in this age group may develop frontotemporal dementia than older people. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 45-65.
Early symptoms of frontotemporal dementia may include:
- personality changes reduced sensitivity to others’ feelings, making people seem cold and unfeeling
- lack of social awareness making inappropriate jokes or showing a lack of tact, though some people may become very withdrawn and apathetic
- language problems difficulty finding the right words or understanding them
- becoming obsessive such as developing fads for unusual foods, overeating and drinking
Read more about frontotemporal dementia.
What Does Dementia Feel Like
This informative and moving video from Social Care Institute for Excellence explains some of the things a person with dementia or Alzheimers disease experiences on a daily basis. Were taken through an average day through the eyes of a dementia patient and listen as she details her confusion and trains of thought.
The film powerfully demonstrates some of the confusing and often frightening occurrences dementia patients go through, some of which youd expect, such as having trouble remembering where they are or who different people are, but some of the symptoms are more physical and eyesight problems are common. We get to see how unpredictable dementia can be and how difficult it is for caregivers and patients.
What exactly is Alzheimers disease? Heres what you need to know.
Alzheimers News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
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I Showed Up At The Wrong Airport
Courtesy Bart Brammer
Bart Brammer, 72, Old Hickory, Tennessee
I was starting to confuse my dates, my hotels, my rental cars, my airplanes, says Bart Brammer, 72, a former corporate trainer who had a 30-year career in automotive manufacturing.
His travel-heavy work schedule had him visiting three locations in a typical week. I showed up at the wrong airport. I showed up at the wrong training site. I showed up a day early, he remembers.
But he didnt go to the doctor. He thought his issues were caused by stress, his busy schedule or working too hard.
It wasnt until he had a stroke at age 70 that things changed. While he was in recovery, managing a stutter and memory loss, his doctor ordered a PET scan. The imaging test revealed that he had early-stage Alzheimers, and dementia was setting in.
Though planning for this quick absence of mind has been difficult, Brammer says, whats even more challenging is not being able to plan for the future. If someone asks what hes doing on July 4th not this year, but next he doesnt have an answer. I cant think that far ahead because of the fear I may not be around. And theres no way of knowing, he says.
Brammer kept his diagnosis a secret for six months, mostly because he was so worried about the stigma. Some people with Alzheimers are living in absolute fear, he says. Theyve just pretty much crawled inside their shell and said, OK, thats all there is. Theres no more. This is how its gonna be.
More on Dementia
The Emotional Effects Of An Alzheimers Or Dementia Diagnosis
I thought my life was over. I knew about Alzheimers but I never thought it could happen to me. This sentiment reflects the fear, disbelief, and dismay many people experience after receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease or another type of dementia. Its a life-changing experience that can be deeply distressingfor both you and your loved ones.
If youve been diagnosed with dementia, you may feel anger, shock, fear about how your memory and personality may change in the future, or profound sadness and grief at the loss of the life you knew. You may find that a diagnosis has a negative effect on your self-esteem or you feel stigmatized as others start to treat you differently. You may also feel isolated, cut off from even those people closest to you who are unable to understand what youre going through. Denial or a refusal to accept this is happening can also be common reactions. Some people even feel relief after a diagnosis, glad that they finally know whats wrong and can plan ahead. Most likely, youll experience a mix of these conflicting emotionssometimes all at once. The emotional turmoil following a diagnosis can even trigger depression or anxiety.
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You Forget What Youre Doing
People who have gone through the experience say it was easy to forget what you were supposed to be doing. The emotions participants feel become evident not only to them but also to the person observing them.
They can become distracted because the tasks were made much more difficult with their senses dulled. Ms Gardener said that she lost interest in what she was doing. Some get frustrated because they cant complete the tasks,while others describe it simply as Wow! as words fail them and as they begin to understand the consequences of sensory loss and therefore what it might be like to live with dementia.
What makes the experience even more powerful is the discussion after the participants have gone through the training, where they are encouraged to talk about their feelings in the empowerment session.
Talking about it afterwards is really important, Ms Gardener said. The range of emotions they can experience in the short training time is absolutely extraordinary and can deliver insights into experience with clients or loved ones. It is discussions like these that bring about transformational change.
Participants in a Dementia Live training course .
Isnt Dementia Part Of Normal Aging
No, many older adults live their entire lives without developing dementia. Normal aging may include weakening muscles and bones, stiffening of arteries and vessels, and some age-related memory changes that may show as:
- Occasionally misplacing car keys
- Struggling to find a word but remembering it later
- Forgetting the name of an acquaintance
- Forgetting the most recent events
Normally, knowledge and experiences built over years, old memories, and language would stay intact.
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What Causes Dementia
In essence, dementia is caused by damage to the nerve cells in your brain.
But dementia is not one single condition. Its essentially an umbrella term that covers a wide range of cognitive disorders. This includes Alzheimers disease, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases, according to the Alzheimers Association.
Damage to nerve cells in the brain can have many causes, including but not limited to:
- the accumulation of specific types of proteins in the brain
- lack of blood flow to the brain
- trauma to the head
Where To Get Help
- Your local community health centre
- National Dementia Helpline Dementia Australia Tel. 1800 100 500
- Aged Care Assessment Services Tel. 1300 135 090
- My Aged Care 1800 200 422
- Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service clinics Tel. 1300 135 090
- Carers Victoria Tel. 1800 242 636
- Commonwealth Carelink and Respite Centres Australian Government Tel. 1800 052 222
- Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service Tel. 1800 699 799 for 24-hour telephone advice for carers and care workers
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Dementia May Even Alter Someones Perception Of Time
Alzheimers and dementia dont just alter how patients see rooms and words, it can even change how they perceive day and night. A normal sunny morning on the patio can be just as confusing as the disorganized kitchen.
On the dementia patients patio, the dark sky reveals why people with the disease mix up their days and nights. Although there are clear signs its daytime in both pictures, an Alzheimers patients may confuse 4am for 4pm and vice versa.
The slippers again show how items can become easily misplaced. While it may have made sense to put them there at one time, it may not be the right place later on. The same memory issues create tripping and falling hazards in the dementia patients garden. Dangerous tools and garden hoses left out due to failing memory can injure seniors long after they stopped using them.
Memory Lapse Or Dementia 5 Clues To Help Tell The Difference
Uh-oh. You cant find your keys. You forgot the name of your newest neighboragain. And exactly where did you park your car at the mall, anyway?
An occasional memory slip is normal, says Johns Hopkins geriatrician Sevil Yasar, M.D., Ph.D. But as you age, these senior moments may leave you wondering whether youre heading for dementiathe loss of memory and thinking skills severe enough to interfere with independent living, often due to Alzheimers disease or other brain changes.
Stress, an extra-busy day, poor sleep and even some medications can interfere with making and recalling memories, Yasar says. And we all have moments when a name or the title of a movie is right on the tip of the tongue, but those events are different from the kinds of lapses that may be warning signs for dementia.
Most of the time, memory lapses are nothing to worry about. But any time youre concerned about yourself or a loved one, its worth talking with your doctor, Yasar says.
So how can you tell the difference between simple slipups and something that may be more serious? The important thing to look for is persistent change in our ability to think and function. Below are five clues.
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What Led To Your Dementia Diagnosis
After I lost my wife to cancer, I saw my doctor with a list of things to ask her. One of those things was the fact that I had noticed that I had lost some of my memory. She gave me a white sheet of paper and asked me to draw a circle. In that circle, I was supposed to put numbers one through 12 and put the time of 10 to two on with the two hands. I did a reasonably good job, but not good enough. And she said, Im going to send you for a brain SPECT scan, and thats how I got started.
How Is Dementia Diagnosed
To diagnose dementia, doctors first assess whether a person has an underlying, potentially treatable, condition that may relate to cognitive difficulties. A physical exam to measure blood pressure and other vital signs, as well as laboratory tests of blood and other fluids to check levels of various chemicals, hormones, and vitamins, can help uncover or rule out possible causes of symptoms.
A review of a persons medical and family history can provide important clues about risk for dementia. Typical questions might include asking about whether dementia runs in the family, how and when symptoms began, changes in behavior and personality, and if the person is taking certain medications that might cause or worsen symptoms.
The following procedures also may be used to diagnose dementia:
Early detection of symptoms is important, as some causes can be treated. However, in many cases, the cause of dementia is unknown and cannot be treated. Still, obtaining an early diagnosis can help with managing the condition and planning ahead.
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