Tips for Reducing Stress for a Senior with Dementia
Dementia is plenty stressful, both for you and for your senior. The big problem, though, is that stress can exacerbate dementia symptoms in your senior. So, the more stressed she’s feeling, the more distracted she might be and the more she might have trouble with her memory. This amps up the anxiety she might be experiencing and can make her even more stressed. Breaking the stress cycle helps. Having senior home care services to step in can help.
Assess Your Senior’s Needs
Take some time to talk with your senior and with her doctor about her current needs. It’s also a good idea to look ahead a bit to future needs. What’s giving your senior the most trouble now? Where does she run into issues and where could more support be helpful?
Use Simple Reminder Systems
Reminder systems are a very helpful tool for people with dementia but take care not to overcomplicate them. A simple notebook along with a visible calendar can be just the ticket. Placing reminder notes in the same place all the time helps your senior to get used to looking for them there.
Help Her Get the Sleep She Needs
If your elderly family member isn’t getting enough sleep, that’s going to make dementia symptoms worse. In fact, if she’s getting inconsistent sleep all the time, you and she might be worried that her dementia is progressing more quickly, which is another source of stress. Working to find ways to help her to get the sleep that she needs can be incredibly helpful.
Prioritize Nutrition
Eating the right foods is another solution that might not be obvious at first. Just as sleep supports brain function, so too does nutrition. Work with your senior to bump up the nutritional levels in what she’s eating. It might help to have senior home care providers helping out with meal preparation, because that can be a huge source of stress as well.
Delegate Tasks to Senior Home Care Aides
Another source of stress for your senior can be keeping up with everything that needs to be done. Delegating those tasks to senior home care providers can help your senior to relax her expectations a bit. Home care providers can do the complicated tasks and leave your senior time and energy to focus on what gives her joy.
It’s impossible to remove stress completely from your senior’s life, especially if she’s battling dementia. But you can take small steps that reassure her that she can let you and others help her to have the best quality of life possible.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Senior Home Care Services in Cochran GA please contact the caring staff at Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services, Inc. today at 478-745-5111.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare has been providing in-home care services since 2002 throughout the Macon and Middle Georgia Area.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services provides in-home care that improves the lives of the clients. Our services help them maintain the highest possible level of independent living. We provide In-home private duty care and care management services for seniors throughout the Middle Georgia area.
Our CNA (certified nursing aides), caregiver, and companion services allow our clients to age in the place where they feel most comfortable and secure - at home. Combine our Home Care Services, with our Geriatric Care Management component, and we provide the most comprehensive assistance for the Middle Georgia areas seniors.
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