Caring and Coping Tips to Help Seniors with Dementia

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Everyone knows something about this insidious disease, but November’s official designation invites us to learn more and consider ways we can all show support for those dealing with dementia. While this is an “awareness month,” for families and friends of the nearly 7 million American seniors living with Alzheimer’s, awareness is an everyday, often distressing, experience.

One easy way to show your support is to wear teal-colored clothing throughout November. Color psychology studies reveal that teal is a particularly calming color, a fact the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America says is “helpful when designing and decorating spaces and events to be welcoming and comforting to those living with Alzheimer’s.”

This leads us to the subject of this blog – ways caregivers and others can cope with (and help) a loved one with dementia.

The Current Situation

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that, as of this year, there are about 6.9 million Americans age 65 or older with Alzheimer’s. That’s 1 in 9 seniors. About three-quarters are over the age of 75. Minorities feature prominently in these statistics:

The VA offers a range of healthcare services for elderly veterans, including:

• Geriatrics Program (for vets with complex health issues)
• Women outnumber men almost 2-to-1
• Black seniors are 2x more likely to develop dementia than White people
• Hispanic seniors are 1.5x more likely to develop dementia than White people

It is important to remember that there are several types of dementia, although Alzheimer’s is by far the best-known. Despite somewhat different symptoms and other details, all types of dementia are incurable and progressively damaging.

Tips for Caring and Coping

Watching a loved one gradually forget important people, milestones, and little details of their past is so difficult for family members and friends. It is even more upsetting to know you are the one losing the memories, thinking, and motor skills that make each of us unique. Alzheimer’s can feel relentless, and the stress can feel overwhelming.

There are many things you can do to ease caregiving and improve the quality of life for your senior. Above all, be calm, listen to their concerns, and try not to show impatience, even when you’re both feeling frustrated.

Here are a few suggestions to ease everyday living:

• Establish and stick to a daily routine for personal care tasks such as bathing and dressing, eating, and favorite activities. Keep activity periods short, and set aside time for quiet in between.
• Provide clothing with big zippers, Velcro fasteners, or elastic waistbands to make dressing easier. Shoelaces, tiny buttons, and the like can be difficult to maneuver.
• To help preserve memory, display photos and other keepsakes. Have them write things down – to-dos, appointments, etc.
• Encourage as much independence as possible, and include them in deciding what to eat, wear, and do.
• Play music, and encourage singing along or dancing.

Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are complex. As they progress, people respond differently – often in negative ways that make caregiving even more challenging. However, there is a multitude of resources available to caregivers and families. Those include Alzheimer’s and other dementia-focused research and support organizations as well as two valuable government entities:

• The National Institutes of Health has an entire website devoted to Alzheimer’s
• The National Institute on Aging supports Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers around the country that host dementia support groups and programs

Caregiver.org offers an extensive online guide to understanding and managing common dementia-related behaviors, including:

• Communicating
• Handling troubling behavior
• Wandering
• Incontinence
• Agitation
• Repetitive behavior
• Sleeplessness and sundowning
• Paranoia
• Eating and nutrition
• Bathing
• Dressing

When It’s Time to Let Professionals Take Over

If you’re a caregiver, you need to take care of yourself, too. Otherwise, you will become too fatigued mentally, physically, and emotionally to be at your best for your loved one. And, as hard as it is to admit, it takes more than love to care for someone who is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.

Moving to a quality memory care community that prioritizes loving, family-like care as well as the highest medical standards can be the safest and most beneficial solution for everyone concerned.

At Magnolia Manor, we understand. We interact with our memory care residents and their families every day. We’re here to answer questions and to help when it’s time to let professionals take over so you can focus on spending personal time with your loved one. Contact us today for more information or schedule your free tour today!