How to manage dementia in the Home: 6 Solutions for Caregivers
The more you know about dementia and the best ways to care for a person with it, the better your experience will be, take time to learn about dementia and how it affects your loved one.
One of the most important things you can do is to educate yourself on dementia, you’ll want to learn as much as you can so you can better live with and care for someone who has it, there are many resources available that offer information specific to dementia, including books, articles, and websites.
If you live in an area where there is a caregiver support group near you, go meet some people who are caring for family members with dementia, you may find that these friends are able to offer helpful advice.
Take care of yourself
The most important thing for you to remember is to take care of yourself first, as a caregiver, it’s easy for you to live and breathe your loved one with dementia, but you must also make time for yourself, this may be difficult because you are caring for someone else, but it’s necessary.
You need to remember that your needs to manage dementia are just as important as the person with dementia’s needs, make sure you take some time every day to do something that makes you happy, it could be as simple as taking a walk or reading a book.
It will help keep your sanity and improve your mood so that you can provide better care for the person with dementia in your life.
Set boundaries
When it comes to dementia, you’ll want to set boundaries and they are important for everyone in the family. You may need to have clear expectations for visitors and friends, don’t let a visitor stay longer than an hour or two because it will only make your loved one more agitated.
If you have children at home, talk about boundaries with them, if a child is playing with a person who has dementia, tell them that the person can’t play with them but they can sit by their side and read them a book instead.
Make sure kids know what’s accepted and what isn’t when interacting with someone who has dementia in order to avoid confusion and conflict.
If your loved one becomes agitated or aggressive, be sure to give them ample space and time to calm down before you speak to them again.
It’s also important that caregivers not get frustrated during these times of agitation; instead find ways to help reduce anxiety levels such as making sure their environment is clutter-free and quiet, providing soothing music, giving gentle reminders that they’re safe, talking in a calm voice, or offering some food or drink unless contraindicated.