Three Critical Guidelines for Caring for an Individual with Dementia
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be a challenging undertaking. Therefore, if possible, you should engage a professional caregiver to provide assisted living services. Alternatively, the affected individual can receive appropriate care at a nursing. Unfortunately, these options might not be applicable if there are limitations such as financial difficulties. If you are planning on providing dementia care at home, you should use the below tips to promote your loved one's wellbeing.
Manage their Nutrition
You should monitor eating and drinking habits if you are caring for someone with dementia. Often, affected individuals forget to eat or drink and these poor habits can lead to malnutrition. Some might even find it difficult to chew and swallow food. It is important to confirm with your doctor that there are no treatable illnesses causing eating problems. For example, denture pain and acute diseases can affect the patient's appetite. You should plan for multiple small meals and snacks to avoid periods of hunger. Also, you can limit the issues arising from forgotten meals by setting alarms indicating mealtimes. If possible, you should serve foods which the patient likes. Additionally, you should consider getting supplements from the doctor to avoid malnutrition.
Provide Hygiene Assistance
People with dementia often lose interest in maintaining their personal hygiene. However, you cannot ignore this negligence. Poor hygiene can lead to disease and discomfort, further lowering the quality of life for your loved one. Ideally, you should make the bathroom a safe and comfortable place for the dementia patient. In simple terms, you should ensure that the room is well-lighted and warm. You should also play some calming music during the scheduled period for personal care. It is important to provide and lay out the required items for bathing or showering. If necessary, you can offer a step by step guide for the process. If the individual has fears such as drowning, you should look for a solution that controls the feeling. For example, the patient might feel more secure when using a basin.
Think about Incontinence
Incontinence is a common problem for dementia patients. Therefore, you should make sure that your affected loved one will be able to handle nature's call with ease. Simply speaking, you should ensure that the bathroom is easily accessible, and there are no obstacles. You should also install nightlights and provide clothing that is easy to remove. You should observe patterns of bowel movement and bladder emptying and provide reminders. If necessary, you should purchase incontinence aids and products like pads.
