Simple Dementia Strategies
There is no question, if dementia doesn’t already affect you, it will some day. You could become a patient or a caregiver, or a taxpayer increasingly burdened by dementia’s spiralling costs. It is a growing public health crisis that will overwhelm countries like Canada if we are not prepared. Dementia rates are rising because of how rapidly Canada’s population is aging — but we will all feel the economic and social burden of the disease.
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But let’s talk about the toll it has on families and a couple strategies on coping.
Has a loved one with dementia ever accused you of saying something hurtful? Or maybe that person has wild stories about things happening that aren't true. Many have an altered picture of reality because of the damage that is occurring in their brain.
Here are a couple simple strategies to de-escalate or calm a situation.
Don't Disagree: Instead of taking a defensive approach, try to say, "I am sorry, I should not have criticized you...or I should not have done that...or I am sorry I said that." Realizing it is delusional, fighting them on this will only escalate the reaction. So instead of reacting defensively, respond to their need. It validates their frustration and may bring you peace in the moment. And yes, you may need to repeat the process, but they have dementia, and will not recall the details of what happened.
Re-Direct: How to handle delusions or things that aren’t real can be a struggle. When you are with an older adult with dementia, and they accuse you of something untrue or they say something untrue...this is what I suggest you do: Re-Direct "Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?" or "I am going to go and fold the clothes! Would you like to help?" Walk away slowly, go and find some towels or it could be any other activity. Distracting them onto something totally different or leaving for 5 min and coming back are effective strategies where they may “forget” what was just happening and move onto something new. I believe that clients with Dementia just want to feel that someone understands them and appears to be listening!
Depending on the situation, different strategies can work, but remember that the same one doesn't work all of the time. We teach our Home Instead Care Professionals the strategy of “Try 3 Times, 3 different ways” and if nothing works, then tomorrow will be a better day! Patience is a virtue that our Care Professionals must have and use every day with the clients and families we serve.
Accepting help in the early days of dementia will help your loved one get used to assistance from others. When families wait too long to get help, the dementia loved one often has a much harder time accepting a “Stranger” into their care.
If you would like to discuss how our team of Care Professionals can help you and your family, we are just a phone call away at 403-984-9225.
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Our next topic will be things our Care Professionals can help you with! Stay tuned 😊
