Contact Long Island Alzheimer’s And Dementia Center For Moderate Stage Alzheimers Help
For 30 years, we’ve helped people suffering from moderate stage Alzheimer’s as well as their caregivers. Throughout our tenure, we’ve learned the value of caregivers finding healthy and supportive outlets in our Caregiver Support Groups facilitated by a licensed Masters level social worker. Within our groups, youll be surrounded by others who truly understand the complex feelings regularly associated with caring for a loved one with moderate stage Alzheimers disease.
We also offer an innovative program for moderate stage Alzheimer’s, transportation services, in-home respite care, and support along your journey.
To learn more about the services we provide for moderate stage Alzheimer’s, contact Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center by calling or by completing our online contact form.
1025 Old Country Road, Suite 115Westbury, NY 11590
Falls And Self Injury
As individuals lose cognitive function, they also become more clumsy and, therefore, more susceptible to falls and injury.
While it may seem odd for weighted blankets to benefit in this manner, the deep touch pressure can promote more self-awareness and proprioceptive input which makes a person more aware of their muscle movements and surroundings.
This input may help improve balance and coordination and may help reduce the risk of falls for ambulatory dementia patients.
Responding To Aggressive Behaviour
It can be difficult to know how to react when a person is behaving aggressively. Try to take a moment to think about their needs and why they might be behaving in this way. They are not likely to be doing it on purpose.
As a persons dementia progresses, they will have more difficulty understanding logic and persuasion, so trying to reason or argue with them is not likely to help. It may cause frustration and distress for you both.
The tips below may help you. They are things you can do, and avoid doing, while the person is behaving aggressively and afterwards.
It is very important to seek support if the person you are caring for is acting aggressively, and to keep yourself safe. This may mean calling the police if you feel you are at immediate risk.
At the time
When the behaviour has passed
Try not to blame or punish the person for the behaviour. They may have forgotten what happened, and may become confused or distressed if you treat them as though theyve done something wrong.
Focus on the person, not the behaviour. They may still feel upset and distressed after the behaviour has passed, even if they have forgotten what happened or what they were responding to. Try to be as reassuring as possible. For more information see our pages about communicating with a person with dementia.
Take some time to talk through your feelings with others. For example, talk to your GP, friends or family, a counsellor or a dementia support worker. Its important to look after yourself.
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Exercise And Outdoor Activities
Study Design And Setting
A single-group, pretest-posttest design was utilized to record changes in students’ comfort levels and perceived communication ability prior to and immediately following outreach participation. The study was completed at 2 long-term care facilities in northwestern Ohio. LTCF1 provided care for individuals diagnosed with moderate-to-severe dementia within a secured memory care unit, monitored by specially trained health care personnel. LTCF2 was the primary residence for seniors with complex health care issues, including mild-to-severe dementia.
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Nonverbal Dementia Communication Techniques
1. Be patient and calm
- Project a positive and calm attitude it can help your older adult communicate more easily
- Avoid body language that shows frustration, anger, or impatience
- Try not to interrupt them
- Give them your full attention
When a situation is very frustrating, staying calm can be tough.
In those cases, its worthwhile to step away for a minute to do some deep breathing or calming exercises so you can come back with a calm attitude.
That helps you avoid a situation where your tension or frustration could subconsciously influence your older adults responses or behavior.
2. Keep voice, face, and body relaxed and positive
- Have a pleasant or happy look on your face a tense facial expression could cause distress and make communication more difficult
- Keep your tone of voice positive and friendly
3. Be consistentAvoid confusion by making sure your body language and facial expressions match the words youre speaking.
4. Make eye contact and respect personal space
- Approach from the front so they can see you coming and have a chance to process who you are and the fact that youre going to interact with them
- Dont stand too close or stand over them it can feel intimidating
- Keep your face at or below their eye level, this helps them feel more in control of the situation
- Make and maintain eye contact while having a conversation
This could include:
- Patting or holding their hand
- Patting or rubbing their shoulder or back
- Putting an arm around them
- Giving a hug
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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What Is Verbal Security Blanket
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The term ‘security blanket‘ was then used to refer to strict security measures that were taken to keep Allied military plans from falling into the hands of the Germans. The term was coined in that context by the US military while fighting in Europe.
One may also ask, what is a verbal security blanket mean? If you refer to something as a security blanket, you mean that it provides someone with a feeling of safety and comfort when they are in a situation that worries them or makes them feel nervous. Alan sings with shy intensity, hiding behind the security blanket of his guitar. 2.
In this manner, why is it important that your verbal and non verbal communication be congruent when conveying a message to someone who has dementia?
Communication gives us a sense of identity and helps us maintain our quality of life. Non–verbal communication can be the most effective style of communication to connect with a person who has dementia. This can include facial expressions, touch, and gestures.
What is a security blanket used for?
A comfort object, transitional object, or security blanket is an item used to provide psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for children. Among toddlers, comfort objects may take the form of a blanket, a stuffed animal, or a favorite toy, and may be referred to by nicknames.
Music And Art Activities
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Helpful Daily Activities For Dementia Patients: 50 Expert Tips And Suggestions To Keep Your Loved One Engaged
Staying active and engaged is beneficial for both physical and cognitive health, so its particularly important for people with dementia or Alzheimers disease to engage in daily activities. Some activities have proven to be particularly helpful for those with dementia, such as games, exercise and outdoor activities, and music and art, as well as maintaining day-to-day routines. Providing structure and routine for a person living with dementia helps to maintain their cognitive function, sense of security, and can calm anxious or aggressive behaviors. It also helps provide a sense of control over their day and their environment, especially for those in the early stages of the disease. For those in the end stage of dementia, many of these activities are often one of the few ways they can still engage their memories and communicate.
To help you keep your loved one busy and actively engaged in meaningful activities, here are 50 tips from caregivers, memory care facility administrators, dementia and Alzheimers experts, and others who have experience in working with those living with dementia. Keep in mind that everyone enjoys different activities, and you should try the activities that best fit your loved ones personality, needs, and situation. These 50 helpful daily activities are not listed in order of importance, but they are categorized to help you quickly find the activities best suited for your loved one.
Seniors And Sundowning: What It Is And How To Cope With It
Sundowning is a symptom of Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia, most often affecting people who have mid- and late-stage dementia. Confusion and agitation worsen in the late afternoon and evening when the sun goes down, and symptoms are less pronounced earlier in the day. Sundowning is also called late-day confusion.
Sundowning behaviors can be verbal or physical. They can occur suddenly, with no apparent reason, or predictably result from a frustrating situation. While it can be hard to cope with, it can help when you realize that the person with Alzheimer’s or dementia is not acting aggressively on purpose.
Factors that may aggravate sundowning
- End-of-day exhaustion
- An upset in the “internal body clock,” causing a biological mix-up between day and night
- Reduced lighting and increased shadows, causing people with Alzheimer’s to misinterpret what they see, so they become confused and afraid
- Disorientation due to the inability to separate dreams from reality when sleeping
- Change in the normal routine
- Reactions to nonverbal cues of frustration from family caregivers who are exhausted from their day
Strategies for managing the symptoms of sundowning
References:Mayo Clinic. Sundowning: Late-day Confusion. Web. 2013.HealthLine.com. What is Sundowning? by Erica Roth. Web. 2013.Alzheimers Association. Sleep Issues and Sundowning. Web. 2013.
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Preventing And Managing Aggressive Behaviour In People With Dementia
Find ways to prevent and manage aggressive behaviour in the future, to help both you and the person with dementia.
Working out what might be triggering the behaviour may make it easier to prevent it. Always try to see things from the persons perspective. Think about the situations where theyve become aggressive, and to try to find what has triggered this response.
Think about what you know about the person and their life. Be aware of their beliefs and thoughts and try not to argue with them. For example, if the person has always valued their privacy and independence, then being helped with eating or washing might cause them to become angry.
Tips For Caregivers And Sundowning
Some simple tips that might help ease the nighttime difficulties for caregivers may include establishing a nighttime routine or leaving on a light to ease fears or confusion. Also, a sleep space and bed should be comfortable.
Make sure that the individual is not too warm or too cold, that the textures of the fabric or pajamas are not irritating, and that the environment feels safe and secure.
Sometimes a weighted blanket may help an anxious or fretful person settle down for a long night of sleep and ease other common symptoms related to dementia.
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Patterns Of Progression In Alzheimers Disease Part 8
Middle stage patterns in communicationMixed-up relationships:Generalities as a cover-up:
- We asked Mrs. S what she and her daughter did together. She answered: We go here and there.we go one place to another.
- We asked Col. C what countries he had been to and he answered, Oh, you name it I guess Ive been there.
- We asked Mrs. G what her mother liked to cook. She answered: What I like. We asked, What do you like? and she answered, Nice food.
We asked another woman to tell us about a place she lived that we knew was important to her. She said, Well, we had a nice house. Its on the water. And I had my things made up nicely for walking around and of course, there was all the school business. It was very nice. We lived there twice and it was very, very nice.
This womans use of the phrase, very nice, is what we call a comfort phrase for her. Its like a verbal security blanket. She knows this is an acceptable comment that will get her through many situations, and she uses it often.
Closely related to this is the person who gives pat answers no matter what you ask. Some women with Alzheimers disease will say, No thank you, dear, Im fine, to anything you ask, when in reality they are cold, hungry or in pain, but find that harder to communicate.
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What Are Weighted Blankets
As the name suggests, weighted blankets are blankets that are weighted. Using a quilting style of stitching, rows of pockets are filled with tiny fillers such as pellets or glass beads.
This creates weight that is evenly distributed over the body. Using the science of deep touch pressure, the firm, gentle weight of a weighted blanket can soothe the central nervous system, easing symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
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Patterns Of Progression In Alzheimers Disease Part 6
- Their ability to dress themselves independently has disappeared, and left to their own devices, they may put pants on backwards, shoes on the wrong feet or underwear over pants.
- They may have some awareness of their difficulties therefore, once they are dressed, they see no reason to change clothes, and may find even the thought exhausting.
- They may also find the process literally painful as physical changes make them less flexible or chronic conditions such as arthritis intensify.
- They may find the ordinary clothes they wore in the past challenging. Stage 6 is when clothes that pull on, pull over, slip on, fit loosely, feel soft, zip rather than button and tighten with Velcro rather than shoestrings, are all appropriate.
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How To Choose The Most Appropriate Activities For A Loved One With Dementia
Selecting activities for a loved one with dementia is a very personal choice and should be based on your care recipients interests and abilities. With so many excellent ideas in this post and other sources, most caregivers will find a few activities that are meaningful and enjoyable for their loved one. When selecting your activities, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Choose the Right Time for Each Activity. When starting an activity with a loved one, make sure that they are not particularly anxious or preoccupied with other things. If the time is not right for an activity, its usually best to postpone it and switch gears to a less-stressful activity. When the time is right, choose a clutter-free area to avoid distractions. It may also be helpful to plan activities based on the time of day. For example, you can choose gentle and relaxing activities like listening to music in the evening hours before bed.
- Adapt Activities to Match Abilities. Its a good idea to check with your loved ones healthcare providers to ensure that a new activity or exercise is safe for your loved one. Also, start small and give the person time to make progress, which will make the effort more rewarding. Activities that involve creativity like art are especially useful, as you will have something to display and enjoy after finishing.
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