Reassure your loved one

As outlined in my previous articles, dementia can affect the quality of life and the ability to perform daily tasks greatly.

The behavioural and psychological symptoms that accompany dementia can cause the person to become isolated, vulnerable and neglected.

Caring for a patient with dementia can be very stressful and seem somewhat impossible. It requires a lot of patience, a positive attitude, and hopefulness.

No one is born with the knowledge of how to look after a person with dementia but one can learn. This will help reduce the stress, improve the relationship, and even control the patient’s psychological symptoms in some cases.
In this article, I will mention a few tips on how to care for a patient with dementia and cognitive impairment based on the commonest symptoms.

Agitation: Persons suffering from dementia often become restless, anxious and upset. This needs to be addressed carefully. Tips to decrease agitation include: listen to them as they express their frustration to get a clue about the trigger; try to decrease or even eliminate triggers as much as possible. Always reassure the person that you are there to provide assistance and comfort and that you can try to understand what they are going through.

Aggression: This behaviour includes physical and verbal aggression (shouting, hitting etc.) which can happen suddenly and without warning. It might be difficult to react in a calm, reassuring way but try to do your best. The environment is very important so try to reduce environmental stressors such as loud noises or dark areas and shadows that might look frightening. Always try to redirect this aggression to an enjoyable activity.

Repetition: This behaviour is usually harmless and can cause no trouble to the patient because he or she won’t realise they are doing it. The problem with it is that it can be annoying for the caregiver. Tackling this behaviour is dependent on the type. For example, if the repetition is a question like ‘what day is it?’, try hanging a calendar and remind your loved one to look at it when they ask. Always keep things familiar in the house, patients with dementia are insecure usually and need to stick to a routine.

Hallucinations: These can be extremely tricky to deal with. They can include visual hallucinations (seeing something that is not usually there) or auditory (hearing something that is not there). There are other types too but these are the commonest. Because they seem real to those with dementia, it is not helpful to try to convince them that they are imagining things. Instead, you should recognise their feelings and reassure them that you are there to help. Keep in mind that the hallucination might be pleasant, like seeing a garden outside the window, so it is not always good to discourage these hallucinations.

Paranoia: This is a very common problem with dementia. Usually the person would feel someone is stealing from them or something greater like something threatening their life. This is related to memory loss and disorientation. It can be very hurtful to be accused of something you did not do but try not to become offended. 

Try to place yourself in their shoes and do not try to argue with the person or convince him or her of your innocence.

There are a few ways you can manage this. For example, telling your loved one, I understand you are upset and I will try my best to find it. Another way is to store back-ups of things that can get lost like shoes or hats.

Depression and Apathy: This is a very big problem as patients become less interested in what used to be their hobbies. They become confined to their house and bed and eventually develop complications such as contractures (stiffness of legs and arms) and bed ulcers (skin wounds in the back). Try to encourage them and keep them active. Remind them of their previously preferred activities constantly.

Wandering: It is one of the most dangerous behaviours among persons with dementia. They could be wandering towards a place they think exist or just walking aimlessly. This is extremely dangerous as they might fall and fracture their hip, for example, or get into trouble with other people on the street. Make sure the person has plenty of supervised activities to channel their energy.

These are a few common behaviours in patients with dementia and ways to tackle them. It is of the utmost importance to try to approach those with a positive attitude, reassure your loved one and keep them safe.