{"id":12125,"date":"2022-10-12T07:02:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T13:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/?p=12125"},"modified":"2022-10-12T06:35:52","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T12:35:52","slug":"the-unique-challenges-of-dementia-caregiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/the-unique-challenges-of-dementia-caregiving\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unique Challenges of Dementia Caregiving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dementia Caregiving. Tips on how to manage such often-difficult care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Selene Yeager, AARP<\/a>, May 31, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dementia Caregiving: Douglas Scharre, M.D., author of Long-Term Management of Dementia and director of the division of cognitive and memory disorders at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, explains how to manage such often-difficult care.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Alzheimer\u2019s disease, a loved one can seem lucid one day and unrecognizable the next. Why?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dementia Caregiving: Alzheimer\u2019s<\/a> is a slow process in which toxic proteins build up in specific areas of the brain, starting with the area where you form new memories. So if you have conversation with someone in early stages, they may not remember the lunch they had with you yesterday, but they may be able to talk about a wonderful anniversary dinner from three years ago, because they\u2019re accessing a stored memory in the part of the brain that\u2019s not damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disease also causes you to lose brain cells, so you have less of a reserve when something throws you off, such as a bad night\u2019s sleep or being under the weather. So they might seem OK, but if they didn\u2019t sleep well, they can have much more trouble because they don\u2019t have the reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What causes symptoms not related to memory, like mood swings or confusion?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In about 75 percent of people with the disease, those toxic proteins spread to other parts of the brain, like those responsible for comprehension and language, which is why you have to communicate more simply as the disease progresses. It can affect the spatial area, which is why people get turned around and lost. The area that\u2019s responsible for executive function like problem\ufeff-solving and decision\ufeff-making can be affected, which is why someone might pause and ponder, How do I figure out this microwave?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, it can affect the limbic lobe, or our emotional brain, so they may have mood issues like anxiety, depression, restlessness and sleep issues. One common behavior when this part of the brain is affected is delusions or false beliefs \u2014 they think something happened when it really didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some ways to be an effective caregiver in those circumstances?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You need to change your\ufeff approach. Your loved one is not going to change<\/a> even if you explain something 500 times. False beliefs get fixed. If your dad thinks he\u2019s not in his house and needs to get home, trying to bring him back to reality by saying, \u201cMy gosh, Dad, don\u2019t be silly. This is your house. You\u2019ve lived here 40 years,\u201d is only going to start a fight. Instead, empathize with them. You can say, \u201cThank you for telling me. It\u2019s getting late, so why don\u2019t we just hang out here? We\u2019ll figure it out tomorrow.\u201d That way, you are on their side, and they feel reassured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, make them feel that you are doing things together rather than making them feel bossed around. They are constantly being told, \u201cYou better go to the bathroom. You better get dressed. You better eat now.\u201d No one likes that. Instead, try, \u201cI\u2019m going to the bathroom now, but would you like to go first?\u201d Then they don\u2019t feel singled out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, employ redirection. If it\u2019s time to eat, but they\u2019re in a mood or don\u2019t want to come to the kitchen, do not insist they come to the table. Instead say, \u201cCan you help me?\u201d Most often they will say, \u201cOK, what do you need?\u201d Then you can say, \u201cI need help in the kitchen.\u201d And when they get there, you can say, \u201cLet\u2019s sit down and have dinner now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dementia Caregiving<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How should a caregiver deal with outbursts of anger? And how common is it for a person with dementia to lash out physically?\u200b<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Click here for the rest of the story…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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