Question

what actions OR verbal direction might I you do OR suggest in order to make Mr. Heron more comfortable ?

Answer 1

1. Help the person with dementia feel safe and comfortable.
2. Provide a relaxed environment and emotional support.
3. Add meaningful activities.
4. Add fun-filled activities.
5. Spend time relaxing with them and talking to them.
6. Different persons find different things relaxing, depending on their personality, likes, and dislikes. Here are some things to consider: Lighting incenses / aromatherapy Instrumental music Bhajans A small altar for worship
   
   Find activities that such persons can help in. Look for activities that make them feel useful and good about themselves. Choose activities depending on the state of their dementia. For example: spreading clothes to dry, or picking them up and folding them removing stones from daal/ rice shelling peas, destringing beans making rangoli helping in the garden placing flowers in the vases rolling out dough for gujjiyas sharpening pencils, stacking newspapers filing newspaper cuttings helping children with their craft projects dusting explain a recipe to a grandchild walking a pet giving clothes to the dhobi/ taking them back filling filter water in bottles re-arranging photos in photo albums While choosing a meaningful activity make sure it is something the person will feel good about doing. Someone who used to like cooking and was proud of doing housework will be happy if asked to shell peas or roll out dough for gujjiyas. But someone who disliked cooking and considered it an unpleasant duty would not. Persons who always used servants for housework may even feel insulted if asked to do things like fold clothes or remove stones from daal
7. Please don’t insist the person takes part in activities if the person is uninterested or tired. Caregoivers may not realize how, for someone with dementia, the simple everyday tasks can be difficult and stressful and tire the person. Also, interests of the person may have changed. Activities should be done only if the person is interested and enjoying them. Here are some activities to consider: Painting Using crayons Playing board games like Ludo and Snakes and Ladders Simple games like stacking colored rings Antakshari
8. Spend time relaxing with them and talking to them Caregivers often forget to spend relaxed time with loved ones who have dementia. Yet, if you can set aside the need for being correct, you can spend time in a relaxed way with the person, just talking or maybe sharing memories. Dementia persons have gaps in their memories, but in a relaxed setting, they are often able to remember many things of the past. They usually enjoy such sessions.
   Some ways the family can spend time together: Listen to old music and talking about favorite songs Watch old movies together See family albums, or re-arranging photos in them Share anecdotes from the past
9. Do… Do use the time together for interesting/ relaxing activities and to increase a sense of participation and togetherness Do adjust the activity to make sure it balances the sense of achievement and a need for challenge for the persons with dementia. It should not seem condescendingly simple. It should not be so complex as to be frustrating. Do let persons with dementia do the activities at their own pace and interest level Do select something that the person finds meaningful     Don’t… Don’t force the persom to do an avtivity if the person is tired or just not interested. Don’t monitor the activity or supervise it like a task the person has to do “correctly” Don’t hurry dementia persons or force them to do the activity/ complete what they started. Don’t assume the activities will “improve” skills or memory, or expect that the “dementia will reduce” the underlying disease (this is a faulty understanding of dementia) Don’t use activities where mistakes can hurt the person or cause loss or irritation Don’t get tense or bossy Don’t point out mistakes or grab control of what the person with dementia is doing. Support them, but don’t rush them Don’t laugh at their mistakes or feel amused. Don’t suggest activities that are obviously trivial or may be seen as condescending by the person with dementia.
   
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