As we juggle different balls in life, we are bound to forget things from time to time. But as you grow older, you might start forgetting things too often.
Some seniors experience minimal to no change in memory, while in others, forgetfulness can significantly impact their lives. This might lead them to leave bills unpaid, doors open, and the stove on; situations that raise concerns.
Short-term memory is affected most when aging, and one might find themselves forgetting recent events. Whereas long-term memories, teen, and childhood memories remain fresh even with medical conditions like Alzheimer’s. As such, you should assess the short-term memory of your loved one when concerns of a decline arise.
With that said, here’s a quick rundown of how you should care for a loved one with memory loss to improve their quality of life.
What are typical age-related memory changes?
The changes in memory-related to aging include:
- Occasionally forgetting appointments or names but remembering them after a period of time
- Making some errors on checkbooks
- Needing help recording a TV show or microwaving food from time to time
- Getting confused about which day it is but remembering it later
- Making bad decisions now and then
- Occasionally feeling weary of social, family and work obligations
- Creating a routine and getting worked up when it isn’t followed
What Ss the difference between age-related memory loss and dementia?
The main difference between dementia and short-term memory loss is that the latter doesn’t noticeably cripple your life and rob you of independence. Conversely, dementia is denoted by a lasting and disabling cognitive decline.
When you have severe memory loss that affects your hobbies, work, family relationships, and social activities, it might indicate Alzheimer’s or disorders that cause dementia.
Dementia vs age-related memory loss:
| Age-related memory loss | Dementia |
| Individuals can function independently and complete regular daily activities despite some memory lapses from time to time | The individual has difficulty completing simple tasks like cleaning up, dressing, and paying bills. They forget how to do things they’ve done countless times. |
| People with dementia can recall and tell of when they forgot something | One cannot remember or describe a scenario where their memory loss has caused them trouble |
| It might take time to remember directions, but they don’t get lost in a familiar environment | They get disoriented and lost in familiar areas and cannot follow directions |
| Have difficulty finding the correct word to use but can hold a conversation | Forget, garble or misuse words. They also repeat stories and phrases in a conversation. |
| The ability to make decisions remains unaffected | They have difficulty making decisions and have poor judgment. They might behave inappropriately in public. |
How do you care for a dementia patient?
People with dementia may need more help with everyday tasks, including bathing and dressing. However, it might be upsetting for the individual to need help with these activities. Below are some tips for integrating into your care for them:
- Maintain a routine around bathing, dressing, and eating. It helps if it’s at a specific time every day.
- Help the individual write to-do lists, events, and appointments in their calendar or notebook
- Plan activities they enjoy and do them at the same time every day
- Create a reminder or system to help remind them to take medication
- When bathing or dressing, allow the individual to do a lot of the work if possible
- Purchase comfortable, loose-fitting, and easy-to-use clothes like those with fabric fasteners and elastic waistbands. Avoid clothing with buckles, buttons, or shoelaces.
- Use a shower chair for support to prevent falls in the shower.
- Be respectful and gentle. Tell them what you’ll do as you help them shower or dress up.
- Serve meals at the same familiar space and allow them sufficient time to finish eating
Handling changes in behavior and communication
Communication can be challenging for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s because they have difficulty remembering words and things. They can also get anxious, agitated, or angry. Instead of getting frustrated or impatient with problems in communication, it helps if you:
- Reassure the individual by speaking calmly and listening to their frustrations and concerns. Show them you understand even when they are fearful or angry
- Allow the individual to retain control of a large portion of their life
- Respect their personal space
- Incorporate quiet times during the day along with activities
- Keep photographs and other objects they love around the house to create feelings of security
- Remind them who you are when they don’t remember you without asking, ‘Don’t you remember?’
- Encourage long, two-way conversations
- Distract the individual with a photo album or familiar book
Active and healthy lifestyle
Eating a healthy and balanced diet and being active are important for a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Some tips to help improve quality of life on this front include:
- Keep them active with familiar and easy activities like baking, cooking, gardening, exercise, or household chores. Choose a physical activity that matches their preference.
- Help them start an activity or participate in it to make it more fun. Individuals with dementia lack initiative and interest, so they may have difficulty starting activities. However, if others plan for it, they’ll participate.
- Incorporate music in activities or exercises to motivate the individual
- Be realistic about how much can be done at once. Short mini workouts are ideal
- Talk walks together daily
- Buy easy to prepare and healthy foods. These can be fresh fruit, vegetables, and low-calorie snacks
- Give the individual a choice of what they’d like to eat
Safety
To create a safe environment in your home for an individual with dementia, you could:
- Install safety plugs in electrical outlets that aren’t used. Also, consider installing safety latches on the cabinet doors
- Remove small rugs and unused items, electrical cords, and other things that could trip the individual
- Ensure the outdoor spaces and rooms that the individual frequents have good lighting
- Replace rugs and curtains with busy colors and patterns as they might confuse the individual
- Lock up or remove household products like matches and paint thinner
What should a caregiver possess when caring for a person with alzheimer’s?
With the special needs seniors living with dementia have, not everyone is cut out to be a caregiver. To improve your caregiving skills, you should possess the following:
- Empathy – individuals with dementia can be angry or anxious when they forget something. To ease their frustration, the caregiver should show empathy. Show the seniors you understand their situation and help them develop a solution.
- Observation – a person with dementia will not communicate new dementia symptoms or medical problems like hearing loss, infections, impaired vision, or cavities. As such, caregivers should be observant enough to notice these changes. Regular physical evaluation can go a long way to help you pick up on these changes.
- Communication – it’s important for a caregiver to have good communication skills to avoid anxiety, resentment, or arguments. If the senior has difficulty communicating, speak to a doctor directly to address medical treatments and medication.
- Time management – with so much to be done, interacting with the senior, attending to their every need, and completing other chores, time management skills are key.
Other qualities a caregiver should possess include to manage difficult behaviors of a person with dementia include:
- Adaptability
- Right body language
- Positive attitude
What do caregivers do for dementia patients?
Caring for people with dementia provides long-term care for patients with dementia. Their responsibilities include discreet assistance with daily living activities, including bathing, dressing up, and incontinence. Aside from these, family caregivers can also offer in-home support care including:
Transportation
At this time, there isn’t a medical test to diagnose dementia. Instead, diagnosis of dementia is done by evaluating medical history, laboratory tests, physical exams, and noticeable changes in thinking and daily behavior.
Managing dementia requires several trips to the doctor. A dementia caregiver can provide transportation to the hospital for a follow-up visit.
Medication reminder
Although there isn’t a medication that can stop or reverse the progression of dementia, a physician can prescribe medication that helps with symptoms of some forms of dementia. Individuals with this medication should take the correct doses at the stipulated times.
Not taking the medication as directed due to memory issues can cause illness or death. Dementia caregivers remind seniors to take their medication on schedule and keep an eye on the medication’s side effects.
Routines
Dementia patients flourish on routines. Everyday patterns help them know what to expect and achieve some form of independence. Consequently, routines allow care recipients to maintain their dignity and build confidence.
Dementia caregivers are big on maintaining daily living routines and setting times for bathing, grooming, and meals. A senior who bathes every morning will continue to even under the care of a caregiver.
Prevent wandering
Any senior suffering from dementia might wander. Confusion and disorientation are prevalent symptoms of early-stage dementia. However, wandering is dangerous and can lead to a senior getting hurt or lost.
Dementia caregivers will prevent wandering by planning personalized activities to reduce restlessness. Also, caregivers provide reassuring words when the individual wants to ‘go home.’ When they do get lost, it helps if they have an identification bracelet.
Safety
The safety of care recipients is important for caregivers. An individual might turn the stove on and forget to turn it off. With a hands-on caregiver, a fire will be prevented. Also, caregivers never leave the individual suffering from dementia alone in a car.
Companionship and friendship
Moreover, caregivers will provide companionship. Companionship keeps persons who have dementia from feelings of loneliness and isolation. During their interaction, they can play mentally stimulating games or have conversations that exercise memory.
When to get professional help
You should seek professional help from a health care provider when the senior experiences confusion or sudden memory loss. A stroke can cause sudden memory loss, accompanied by other symptoms including slurred speech, paralysis, and confusion. Reach out to a health care professional immediately when a stroke happens and evaluate for confusion episodes that progress fast in a few days.
Moreover, you should seek professional help from dementia specialists when you notice significant memory, gait instability, or sleepiness after changes in medication.
It’s also important to reach out to a professional caregiver to help you care for your loved one. You cannot do it alone. Caregivers who have some time off of the demands of caregiving offer better care and find satisfaction in their roles.
