“Home is where the heart is;” but what if the person you love has dementia and says, “I want to go home” when he or she is already home? When you are providing care for a loved one with dementia, unfortunately this discussion can be a common occurrence. And the uncertainty and grief-stricken yearning being expressed are nothing less than heartbreaking – and, if we’re honest, aggravating.
At Independence-4-Seniors Home Care, our professionally trained Alzheimer’s care team helps families handle difficult situations such as this, and we highly recommend trying the following dementia care tips to help you restore calmness to an anxious loved one with dementia:
- Rather than rationalize, validate. Reasoning or arguing with a senior with Alzheimer's can actually increase frustration and unrest. Even if the senior is in the very same home she’s lived in for the last two decades, inside her thoughts, “home” could symbolize the enjoyment she felt in her childhood house along with her parents. Her feelings of loss are very real, and deserve to be acknowledged.
- Give reassurance. Maintain a calm, soothing tone of voice and body language and take a seat close to the older person, giving consolation through a hug, hand-holding, or maybe gently touching the person’s arm, if these kinds of actions are accepted.
- After that, redirect. After you’ve supplied a calming presence and validated the older person's feelings, redirection to a satisfying, entertaining activity can be helpful. Walking outside or perhaps in a different section of the house, enjoying favorite songs, or perusing picture collections are just a very few ideas; think about the particular person and include what works best for her.
For additional guidance on helping bring back peace to a troubled senior with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia, contact Independece-4-Seniors Home Care at (630) 323-4665. We can help keep seniors safe, improve socialization, and present them with opportunities to improve both cognitive and physical wellbeing through services such as:
- Patient, sensitive assistance with personal care tasks such as bathing and dressing
- Engaging in chats and reminiscing about the past
- Assisting a senior with doctor-approved activities and exercises
- Playing board games, cards or games on a tablet devise with the senior
- Prepping nutritious meals
- Running errands including buying groceries and prescription medications
- Coordinating transportation to health care appointments and other outings
- And so much more
Whether just a few hours each week of respite care for primary family caregivers are necessary, or full-time, seamless, around-the-clock care is wanted, we’re on hand to partner with you to deliver the very best quality dementia care. Contact our home care professionals to learn more and to arrange for a free in-home assessment.