Memory Care: How To Help A Loved One With Dementia
While caring for a loved one can be rewarding, it also can be very difficult to provide care if your loved one has some type of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Your loved one might have trouble remembering you or remembering many details of daily life. Confusion, anxiety, anger and depression are quite common, and this can be tough for a caregiver to handle. However, there are a few strategies that seem to help make life run more smoothly for both you and your loved one. In addition, there are facilities for assisted living in or near San Diego that specialize in offering memory care for their residents and this can be an excellent option if caregiving has become too hard to manage.
People with any type of dementia obviously become confused and disoriented easily, and they do not tend to handle stress well. One way to help a person with dementia is to keep daily life as simple and straightforward as possible. Keep the house clean and clutter free, provide them with easy tasks to complete and avoid crowded or loud situations. Design a simple daily schedule so that your loved one knows what to expect throughout the day. Make sure the person doesn't have to deal with tasks such as paying bills or taking on responsibility for complicated tasks. At a community for assisted living in San Diego, the memory care facilities will be designed to be as stress-free as possible, which is one reason to consider this option.
Keep in mind that people with any type of dementia might be forgetful and sometimes confused, but they still would like to be helpful. There are plenty of household tasks that a person with dementia can accomplish. They can vacuum, help with meal preparation, set the table, groom the dog, rakes leaves or work in the garden, fold laundry and organize various items. Once a task has been completed, it's nice to give a thank you and a hug, and this can go a long way to making a person feel comfortable and happy. Activities at a facility for assisted living in San Diego will be designed to be easy but engaging, such as painting or drawing, playing various games, sorting tasks and other activities that are especially designed to benefit a person with dementia.
It's true that losing memories is very painful for both the person with dementia and his or her loved ones. Still, the most difficult aspect of dementia is often the changes in behavior. A person who previously was quite pleasant might become irritable or even very angry and sometimes even abusive with their loved ones. As unpleasant as this is, it's not atypical and some strategies often used at memory care facilities include using a quiet, calm voice when dealing with an issue. Changing the subject or providing a distraction also can help. Consider finding something pleasant to focus on, such as eating a meal or going for a walk or a drive.
For many families, the main reason why they choose assisted living in San Diego is because they are worried about safety. They worry that their loved one might wander away from home or perhaps fall and become hurt when no one is home. Memory care facilities aren't on lockdown of course, and residents can sometimes wander off, but the chances are much less likely simply because there are always staff members in the facility. If someone is hurt or becomes ill, a staff member quickly can summon help.
When searching for memory care assisted living in San Diego, you should visit several different facilities and try to find one that seems to suit the personality of your loved one. Sometimes a smaller board and care home or a skilled nursing facility might be the best option. An eldercare referral service can provide you with a list of pre-screen facilities that might suit your loved one's needs. The transition into assisted living can be difficult, so set up their new apartment with items that are familiar, such as favorite chair, a favorite quilt, family pictures or any item that seems to generally bring comfort. Be patient, because this adjustment takes time and it's hard to watch a loved one in distress, but eventually most people do settle into memory care and often enjoy the activities and the reduced level of stress.
People with any type of dementia obviously become confused and disoriented easily, and they do not tend to handle stress well. One way to help a person with dementia is to keep daily life as simple and straightforward as possible. Keep the house clean and clutter free, provide them with easy tasks to complete and avoid crowded or loud situations. Design a simple daily schedule so that your loved one knows what to expect throughout the day. Make sure the person doesn't have to deal with tasks such as paying bills or taking on responsibility for complicated tasks. At a community for assisted living in San Diego, the memory care facilities will be designed to be as stress-free as possible, which is one reason to consider this option.
Keep in mind that people with any type of dementia might be forgetful and sometimes confused, but they still would like to be helpful. There are plenty of household tasks that a person with dementia can accomplish. They can vacuum, help with meal preparation, set the table, groom the dog, rakes leaves or work in the garden, fold laundry and organize various items. Once a task has been completed, it's nice to give a thank you and a hug, and this can go a long way to making a person feel comfortable and happy. Activities at a facility for assisted living in San Diego will be designed to be easy but engaging, such as painting or drawing, playing various games, sorting tasks and other activities that are especially designed to benefit a person with dementia.
It's true that losing memories is very painful for both the person with dementia and his or her loved ones. Still, the most difficult aspect of dementia is often the changes in behavior. A person who previously was quite pleasant might become irritable or even very angry and sometimes even abusive with their loved ones. As unpleasant as this is, it's not atypical and some strategies often used at memory care facilities include using a quiet, calm voice when dealing with an issue. Changing the subject or providing a distraction also can help. Consider finding something pleasant to focus on, such as eating a meal or going for a walk or a drive.
For many families, the main reason why they choose assisted living in San Diego is because they are worried about safety. They worry that their loved one might wander away from home or perhaps fall and become hurt when no one is home. Memory care facilities aren't on lockdown of course, and residents can sometimes wander off, but the chances are much less likely simply because there are always staff members in the facility. If someone is hurt or becomes ill, a staff member quickly can summon help.
When searching for memory care assisted living in San Diego, you should visit several different facilities and try to find one that seems to suit the personality of your loved one. Sometimes a smaller board and care home or a skilled nursing facility might be the best option. An eldercare referral service can provide you with a list of pre-screen facilities that might suit your loved one's needs. The transition into assisted living can be difficult, so set up their new apartment with items that are familiar, such as favorite chair, a favorite quilt, family pictures or any item that seems to generally bring comfort. Be patient, because this adjustment takes time and it's hard to watch a loved one in distress, but eventually most people do settle into memory care and often enjoy the activities and the reduced level of stress.
About the Author:
Rue Nichols enjoys reading home health care blogs. To get more information about assisted living facilities in San Diego or to find places to help with board and care Costa Mesa, please visit the Care Placement site today.