Mental health articles
OF mental health care and mentally ill
dealing with dementia behaviors
dealing with dementia behaviors
Practical tips for dealing with disturbed behaviour in dementia
General tips
• Establish a daily routine. This will make life a lot simpler because you will know what is to be done, how often, when and so on.
• As far as possible, let the elderly person be independent. For example, many can feed themselves, even if they are slow and unsteady.
• Never forget that the elderly person has dignity. Do not talk negatively about her in her presence.
• Preserve an elderly person’s privacy during intimate activities such as bathing.
• Avoid confrontation and arguments.
• Keep tasks simple.
• Laugh with the elderly person (never at her).
• Help make the best of a person’s abilities; simple tasks can be found which the person
could do and which could also provide some exercise.
• Make sure that the person’s eyeglasses are correct.
• Speak slowly and clearly. If the elderly person has not understood, try to say things using simpler words and shorter sentences.
• Show love and affection whenever possible. A hug is worth a hundred pills.
• Use memory aids such as labelling doors to the bathroom or a writing board in the room on which today’s day and date is written every day.
• Avoid unnecessary medicines.
Bathing and personal hygiene
• Independence: let the elderly person do as much as possible unaided.
• Dignity: bathe the elderly person with underpants on.
• Safety: a chair to sit on while being bathed; a mat that does not slip on a wet floor.
Toileting
• A regular toilet routine.
• Use clothing that can be easily removed (and put back on).
• Limit drinks at bedtime.
• Keep a vessel for urine during the nights.
• Special pads for incontinence in older people can be obtained.
Feeding and eating
• Use finger foods.
• Cut up food into small, bite-size pieces.
• Do not serve food too hot.
• Remind the person how to eat (with hands or how to use cutlery).
• If the elderly person has difficult swallowing, refer to a specialist.
• Mix the food and serve it in a ready-to-eat state (for example, mixing curry and rice).
Suspiciousness and anger
• Do not argue back; keep your calm.
• Try to comfort; hold hands firmly and talk gently.
• Distract the person by drawing attention to something in the room.
• Try to find out what made the elderly person angry – and try to avoid this in future.
• Consider medication such as haloperidol.
Wandering away from home
• Use an identification bracelet or necklace.
• Keep the doors of the house locked.
• When the elderly person is found, don’t show anger.
Post Footer automatically generated by wp-posturl plugin for wordpress.
Leave a Reply