Taking care of people with dementia; effective approach

[thieuster]

In a local newspaper here, an interview with a seasoned nurse (25+ yrs). She works during nightshifts in a nursing home for people with dementia.

Since a few weeks, she wears a dressinggown over her uniform and wears furry slippers as well when she works with patients.

People with dementia tend to have difficulties when it comes to maintaining a regular night-and-day rythm. Sometimes her patients wake up at night ans start moving furniture around or they start doing the dishes.

In the past, in the pre-dressinggown time, she tried to bring those patients back to bed. But a lot of them associated ‘uniform’ with ‘work’/‘day’/‘awake’.

Now, when patients spot the dressing gown and the furry slippers, they associate it with ‘night’/‘sleep’/‘sorry I woke you up’’

The long-time nurse told the journalist that her work is a lot easier these days. Patients turn back to bed more or less automatically. And sleep better at might.

She has been experimenting with the gown for 6 weeks now and doesn’t want to go back to the old situation.

Isn’t life wonderful sometimes - even when it comes to (helping people with) dementia?

[Mick P]

My wife is now 20 months after her stroke and is slowly recovering but she has become a bit absent minded and whilst it's not full blown dementia, it still affects us both.

She runs out of steam at around 10.00pm and retires to bed a couple of hours earlier than me. She is supposed to take a pill when going to bed and another when she gets up in the morning. I keep a track on this by counting the tablets she has left and yes she often forgets to take them.

So I tried a similar trick to the OPs. We leave a very floral egg cup on her beside cabinet and the sight of it reminds her to take her evening tablet and she places the morning tablet in the egg cup and when she sees the it in the morning, she remembers to take her tablet. She now has a 100% track record of not forgetting.

We used to get her to write things in a Filofax and this was only because I used one for work very effectively for decades. However she wanted to do it via her iPhone and after an initial few clangers, she has now got it perfected and she now knows what she has to do today. She also now runs my itinerary for me which allows to be in charge and that's good for her.

Basically let them look after themselves which lets them retain their dignity and keeps the wheels turning so to speak. When your partner gets like this you really do have to act as a team rather than a carer / patient relationship.

[thieuster]

Your last paragraph is very wise and I guess you’re right!

[Brighty]

My wife starts a new job next month in a dementia unit at a care home. I'll suggest the dressing gown and slippers approach

[M1011]

A truly scary condition, although impacts many, many people. Some of the volunteering work I do touches on this and it's left me truly hoping to never experience it myself. It's also so hard on the family. I hope they find effective treatments.

[thieuster]

A truly scary condition, although impacts many, many people. Some of the volunteering work I do touches on this and it's left me truly hoping to never experience it myself. It's also so hard on the family. I hope they find effective treatments.

It runs in my family (grandmother, my father, his sister) and I’m very aware of the fact that it can hit me as well. In fact, I had a heart attack in 2011. That never bothers me, I don’t think about it. But Alzheimer/dementia… as soon as I forget something, I think: “Here we go!”
Nonsense perhaps, but still…

[Neil.C]

It runs in my family (grandmother, my father, his sister) and I’m very aware of the fact that it can hit me as well. In fact, I had a heart attack in 2011. That never bothers me, I don’t think about it. But Alzheimer/dementia… as soon as I forget something, I think: “Here we go!”
Nonsense perhaps, but still…

As you get older and a bit more forgetful you are bound to think that Menno, I know I have!

Getting a bit more absent minded and having dementia are two very different things.

I'll let you know when I can't understand your posts.