How do you look after someone with dementia
Understanding dementia can be a scary time and the prospect of providing care to a dementia patient can be overwhelming. However, with the right support for you as the carer and the dementia patient, it is possible to continue to care for the patient throughout their disease. It is worth remembering that not every dementia patient is the same and depending on health factors and the type of disease that they may have, there care needs may be very different and in some cases specialised. It is possible to deliver care to a dementia patient within their own home and we cover this in more detail in another article here, as well as when is the right time to move to a care home and how to choose that home.
Carer support
If you are going to act as their carer, you will need to be registered as such with your GP. This is important as the role as a caregiver can be tiring, as well as rewarding. However, if they are concerned about the impact of care on your health, they may be able to get you access to a carer’s break payment (correct May 19).
Load up with knowledge
If you are going to undertake the role of carer, make sure you have a strong support network around you. Caring can be difficult and tiring and you’ll want someone to talk to and just to be able to share. You also want to be taking breaks too. This is important to support your health while you are caring and so that you can be ready to support the dementia patient where needed. Be able to be their carer can be rewarding too. You’ll be able to create memories together and share moments, which would not be as easy to achieve if they are living in a care home environment.
You’ll want to arm yourself with as much information as possible and understand how the disease can progress. This may be a difficult task to carry out on your own, so maybe ask someone else to help you, or to go through the information with you, so you can understand what is likely to occur. We cover a range of topics within our blog section which can give you more information about the different types of diseases.
You might want to consider moderations to your home and you’ll want to look at a range of products that can aid with supporting someone living with dementia. There are various products that can help with care needs, to sensory, music and alternative therapies to help with their all round care. Take a look at what we have listed within our site here:
At the start
If the dementia diagnosis has been made fairly early and the patient is not suffering from significant impairments to their health, then there may not be too many obvious signs or changes to their behaviour, or their needs. At this stage the dementia patient can undertake regular exercise including walking as well as other cardio-vascular exercises, which raises the heart rate and encourage the movement of blood around the body. It is important to remember that various forms of dementia involve parts of the brain becoming inactive and effectively these parts of the brain stop working. By encouraging exercise in the patient, this can help to delay some of the symptoms of dementia.
Encouraging the patient to change their diet can have benefits for the dementia patient also. Reducing the level of cholesterol and increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten will support the dementia patient’s health (as it would for anyone).
As the dementia patient progresses through their disease and also depending on other healthcare factors, they may become more tired. They may need more help with household tasks, shopping and perhaps cooking, or taking the dog for a walk. Remember to keep involving them in preparing food, or cooking tasks if they are able. Patients can forget what foods are but if they are involved in the preparation of them, they may be more inclined to eat what has been made.
As the disease progresses
As they begin to forget more, you may want to think about labelling and signs around the house, to help identifying where items are. If you remember to put signs near handles for example, as dementia patients tend to look down. Other items such as memory books, items to keep fidgeting hands and minds occupied and identifying their music taste, may all help support the dementia patient and help you as their carer to keep them calm and reduce any anxious outbursts. You’ll want to think about communication also. We cover this in more detail here but as a dementia patient progresses with their disease, they may not be able to communicate as effectively as they once could. Flash cards and support with remembering items may help.
Other elements of dementia care include support with eating and drinking. The dementia patient may need more help with eating and drinking. In particular a dementia patient is at risk from dehydration as they may not realise they are thirsty, so they need to be reminded to take on enough fluids. Similarly, food must be offered that is at a palatable temperature. Anything too hot and they may still eat it, not recognising the burning sensation of food that is too hot.
There can be more difficult symptoms of dementia, such as sundowning which is where the dementia patient’s anxiety becomes more heightened. We cover this is more detail in our article here.
Towards the end stages of the disease, their dementia care needs will be more complex and may involve other medical needs, depending on which type of dementia disease they have and how their overall health is. This is the time period that requires the most extensive care as well as an all round provision of care.
As a registered carer, you will be eligible for a care assessment which looks at what tasks you are undertaking and identifying if there are any that you need help with, such as shopping, breaks, additional care support in the home or housework.
You may also be eligible for benefits. Take a look at our other articles to find out our range of care benefits that are available to the carer.
