How to care for an elderly person with dementia: what you can and cannot do, how to make life easier for the patient

Since a patient with dementia suffers from memory and thinking abilities, it is important that his life maintains a familiar pattern. It is desirable that he should do most of the things he is used to doing independently. The longer the person remains independent, the slower the disease will progress. This will help him maintain a sense of self-respect. However, he needs help. What can and cannot be done when caring for an elderly person with dementia? How can you make his life easier?

What you can and cannot do in caring for an older person with dementia

What should be done to make life easier for the person with dementia:

• It is important to provide the person with dementia with a calm, friendly atmosphere. Avoid arguments and harsh intonations in the voice in his presence.
• Speak more slowly than usual, enunciate words clearly, look at the person's face to see articulation and facial expressions.
• It is important for an older person with dementia to be given simple tasks frequently to keep them busy and feeling needed. However, the tasks should be easy for him or her to do.
• A person with dementia may have impaired motor coordination. He or she forgets where certain things are, which he or she may trip over or bump into. Therefore, it is important to make the patient's place of residence as safe as possible.
• In parallel with dementia, an elderly person's hearing and vision may decrease. Therefore, they are checked in good time and, if necessary, stronger glasses or hearing aids are ordered. This will facilitate full communication.

What not to do when caring for a person with dementia:

• An elderly person with dementia should not be treated like a child. It is important to respect their feelings and treat them as an adult.
• Take into account that the patient's cognitive functions are impaired. He or she may forget, ask questions, or do the same thing. By understanding the person's condition, it is easier not to be irritated by such manifestations of the disease.
• If you discuss the patient's health and behavior in his presence, he will be uncomfortable. It is important to praise him in front of other people.

Physical care of an elderly person with dementia

An elderly person with dementia needs this kind of assistance:

• The sick person may not understand why he needs to wash himself or forgets how to do it. Therefore, he or she needs help. It is important to carry out hygiene in as comfortable and pleasant an environment as possible. Make sure that the water is at a pleasant temperature, the soap or shower gel smells good, and the washcloth is not too hard. If the patient is embarrassed by the presence of another person, you can cover the intimate areas of the body with a thin towel.
• An elderly person with dementia may forget to change dirty clothes for clean ones, do not remember how to put on a sweater or pants. To make it easier, things are put in the order in which they are put on. There should not be complicated fasteners, Velcro, zippers on the clothes. It is desirable to show the sick person how to put things on, do not rush him and allow him to do everything independently as much as possible.
• To make it easy for an elderly person to find the toilet, make a bright inscription on the doors, leave them ajar. If he or she is urinary incontinent, a potty or diaper is placed near the bed at night.

What kind of care an elderly person with dementia will need depends on the stage of the disease, the nature and physical health. When organizing care, it is important to listen to the doctor's recommendations.