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HEALTHY LIVING: Tips to help families deal with dementia
The Bristol Press - 10/17/2017
Dementia is not a single disease - it is a classification of various symptoms and diseases.
While Alzheimer's disease is the most common - it progresses slowly and gradually destroys memory, reason, judgment, language, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks - there are many other not so well known forms of dementia. They include:
Vascular dementia happens when part of the brain doesn't get enough blood carrying the oxygen and nutrients it needs
Acquired brain injury happens when there is some type of injury or lack of oxygen to the brain
Fronto-temporal dementia affects planning and judgment; emotions, speaking and understanding speech; and certain types of movement
Dementia with Lewy Body leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and motor skills.
Dealing with friends or family members with dementia can be challenging. Here are some tips:
Simplify everything; success becomes more achievable
Slow down your speech and actions to match theirs
Stay on one subject at a time; maintain eye contact
Satisfy the immediate emotional need; provide reassurance, recognition of this need
Avoid use of logic and reason; it is hard for the brain to process
Avoid explaining why something must be done; just state the task
Focus on an alternative activity to distract from an undesired one
Point out positive behaviors and avoid criticizing negative ones
Mood is contagious; exhibit the mood you want them to be in
Mirroring a behavior jump starts the mind's memory for doing it
Inform rather than reorient; avoid quizzing
Give choices as often as possible; limit them to 2. It empowers.
Dementia specialists are available at all Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging locations: Bloomfield, Hartford, New Britain, Meriden, Newington, Southington, Vernon and Willimantic. Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, a not-for-profit member of Hartford HealthCare Senior Services, is a resource and assessment center designed to enhance access to services and information related to attaining optimal quality of life for seniors and their caregivers. For more information, call Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, 1.877.424.4641 or visit www.cthealthyaging.org .