7 Strategies for Coping with Early Dementia
By admin on Mar 5, 2008 in Care
A dementia diagnosis will be shocking.
The prospects of taking care of an elderly loved one for months and perhaps years, will seem very stressful and overwhelming at first. However, there are ways to deal with the early stages of dementia which will not only help you get organized with less stress, but can also help provide a safe, loving environment for the dementia patient.
1. Baby-Proof the house
You should evaluate where the dementia patient will live as closely as you would for a baby. In fact, it's not a bad idea to talk to nursery school/daycare operators if you are in doubt. It will surprise you how many hazards can be found around the typical home which can cause accidents and dangers for the young and the old.
Get rid of guns, kitchen knives, power tools, and make sure cords are not dangling where the dementia patient could trip over them.
If your loved one can still operate an appliance like an iron, see that it is turned off after each use, or that it automatically turns itself off.
2. Monitor driving closely
Patients in the early stages of dementia are still allowed to drive in many cases although it is the law in most states that their condition has to be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Your biggest problem is when and how to take the keys away from the loved one, but additional testing by the state may solve that situation for you. If the person does not pass the driving test, he will not be able to keep his driver's license.
3. Supervise all medications
If you can not be there to do this yourself, you must see to it that someone will check on your aging parent or loved one daily. For example, if your Dad misses his blood pressure medicine or takes it incorrectly that could lead to an unnecessary hospitalization, which could cause his dementia to grow worse
4. Give the dementia patient a pleasant living area
People in the early stages of dementia need bright cheerful surroundings. The house, or rooms where the person lives, should be kept clean. The person should not be allowed to stay in dark rooms with little stimulation. That will probably make their condition worse.
Keep the television or radio on and give their rooms plenty of light.
5. Keep the person exercising
Another serious problem dementia patients often have is they lose use of their muscles over time because they are not physically active. This problem can also grow worse because of poor appetite and diet.
Get the dementia patient involved in walking or other simple activities. This will not only keep his muscles strong, but will aid in sleeping and help with restlessness.
6. Keep the person mentally active for as long as possible
Try to maintain the person's interests such as reading, working jigsaw puzzles, and playing games. Don't throw too many difficult activities at him that he may be unfamiliar with because that will only confuse him.
7. Take care of yourself
You can't help them, if you're too stressed out physically and mentally. Take some time off. Have someone else come in and monitor your loved one for a few days. This will probably be possible in the beginning while the person can still function fairly well. As the disease progresses, check with the Alzheimer's Association for support groups, social workers, and aging services.
Popularity: 97% [?]
Tags: Care, activites to do with seniors with dementia, dealing with early dementia, dementia only dementia information, dementia progression maintaining skills, elderly early dementia coping strategies, psychosocial needs of the elderly, taking care of elderly, the effects of dementia on aging
APA Related Posts
-
Infant Oral Health Care Maintaining Your Baby’s Health Care At HomeCongratulations on your new bundle of joy! You have probably counted all of your baby’s fingers and toes, gazed into his or her freshly opened eyes, and just smiled for hours at this beautiful new creation. At the hospital, there is always someone there...... -
Latest Emergency Room Trip with My 82-Year Old Dad Last week's  visit to the emergency room was rough. As many of us with aging parents know, your world can suddenly change within seconds. Accidents can be deadly, but if you're lucky somehow you can avoid serious injury. We had a situation like that with my 82-year old Dad. He...... -
Self Esteem Effects of Aging The effects of aging can sometimes be devastating on a senior's self esteem, but they can often be avoided with a little planning and commitment. There are many positive actions seniors, their families and caregivers can take which can make the later years not only positive and happy but also fulfilling. 1. Help the...... -
Ou" title="paperfigs src="http://agingparentsauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/paperfigs-300x199.jpg" width=300/>Ou" border=0>New Aging Parents Community Site Launched Our new aging parents community site has just launched and we're very excited about all the possibilities. We have set up a forum where we can all go in and talk about those things that matter the most to us. Let's face it. Taking care of our parents is not...... -
Traveling with Elderly Relatives Image by The U.S. National Archives via Flickr Traveling with an elderly relative needs a plan. Just as traveling with children involves extra thought and preparation, so does traveling with seniors. ABC has a video giving some great tips such as knowing what the elderly person's normal blood pressure......
APA Related Websites
-
Mind Building 101 - Are You in Control of Yourself? Really? MIND BUILDING 101 - Are You in Control Right Now? Quoting again from, "Thought Vibration - or the Law of Attraction in a Thought World", I ask the question are you really in control of yourself? We tend to think we are, but most of us are driven by our primordial instincts like thirst...... - Don't Blame Others for Your Debt Get up and Do Something About It! When is ignoring debt a good idea? Never. What about blaming others for a debt? Never.   A buddy of mine called me today under the guise that he had a legal question. So being the good friend that I am, I said shoot. Turns out he went to a lender for promises of a......
- The Art of Learning By Josh Waitzkin Although this is a book by a chess expert, don’t let that fool you. There is some hard hitting advice here that can help you in many different areas of your life. If you are trying to learn more about managing your money and becoming a success, this book is......
- Getting Picky Eaters to Eat Healthy A friend of mine shared her frustration of having a picky eater in the house and asked for suggestions on how to introduce healthier foods. "He doesn't like vegetables, rarely touches fruits, and would eat peanut butter all day if up to him." The "he" she was referring to is......
-
Success Manual: Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson (1906) - FREE Ebook Download // < 
4 Comment(s)
By Christine Jackson on Aug 15, 2008 | Reply
I think my mum (who lives with me for the last 11 years)has early stages of dementia. She is suddenly horrible to live with. Wicked and says some nasty things to those whom she once loved. I dont know how long I can copy with this. How do I find out if she has dementia. She would be horrified if I asked her to go to the doctors to find out. If I make an appointment with her doctor to ask would they see me. My surgery is a different one to hers?
By G.a.i.a on Jan 29, 2009 | Reply
I've come to accept that my mom is already at the early stage of dementia — and I think, in a way, she had accepted it too. All the above point hv been applied in our home.
My only problem is when close relatives dont want to accept the fact, as most of the time they spent time with my mom, my mom looks and acts ok , and can follow all the conversation they have.
G.a.i.as last blog post..We Will Not Go Down (Song for Gaza)
By admin on Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
This is very frustrating, but not uncommon.
People don't realize what you're going through and sometimes we think it's because they are uncaring. Actually, they do care. They're just misinformed. That's another reason why we need to get more information out there.
People are living longer now and we need to prepare ourselves as nations and societies for these challenges.
By HSA on Oct 24, 2009 | Reply
We took care of my MIL for several months in our home. The hard part wasn't childproofing the house or making it safe. The hard part was the constant attention we had to give. It is very tiring and often unappreciated. You need to make sure you have breaks.