Today is a special day! It honors the millions of CAREGIVERS out there. You are valued, and appreciated. Here are some of my most helpful tips!
Alzheimer's causes a lot of perceptual changes. Here are some tips!
Not feeling they at home
-ask a few questions about their home from the past
-talk about their prior home as though they STILL live there
-do not correct them
(When a loved one is at a moderate or severe stage of Alzheimer's disease YOU need to change, not the person. It is kinder to accept the stage they are living in, rather than trying to convince them about the facts.)
ENTER THEIR WORLD
(I have been advising this tip since I was 9 years old, which is 5 years ago. )
When my grandfather died, my grandma kept asking about when he is "coming home". When we told her the truth she started to cry. It was awful. Finally we started telling her that "grandpa is at work". She smiled and stopped crying.
-If your loved one says "it's raining" on a sunny day, smile and offer an umbrella.
-If your loved one says that it is "night", agree! It is not worth it. Their short term memory is not working properly. You cannot "orient them" to time and space. So go along for the ride into THEIR WORLD.
To RECAP tips:
-"Enter their world" ask your loved one to tell you about the things the DO remember
-Try not to correct the person if they are confused, accept their way of thinking
-Distract your loved one by giving them a hug, a drink or agreeing with their version of the story
If you have LOVE as the motivation for your actions it becomes super easy!
No comments:
Post a Comment