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<\/p>\nTo mark World Alzheimer\u2019s Day on 21 September, Dovida share techniques for dealing with loved ones experiencing alzheimer\u2019s and dementia. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s estimated that 64,000 people live with dementia in Ireland, of which Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the most common cause. Seeing a loved one go through has a devastating impact on a family. <\/p>\n
\u201cSupporting a loved one living with dementia can be both a rewarding and challenging experience,\u201d Aisling Cooke, National Caregiver Training Manager at Dovida, says. \u00a0<\/p>\n
In an attempt to aid families dealing with alzheimer\u2019s and dementia, Dovida shares techniques practised by caregivers\u202fevery day to help families gain a\u202fbetter understanding\u202fof dementia and\u202ffeel more\u202fempowered\u202fto care\u202ffor\u202ftheir loved ones with confidence, empathy, and compassion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAs dementia progresses, families often find themselves navigating changes in memory, communication,\u202fbehaviour, and daily routines. These are many of the same challenges that Dovida Caregivers\u202fare trained to deal with every day. Many of the techniques Dovida Caregivers learn throughout their training are simple but\u202fvery effective\u202fin managing\u202fbehaviours associated with dementia and can be very helpful for family\u202fmembers\u202fcaring for loved ones in the home,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n
Expert techniques \u00a0
\u201cOne of the most important aspects of dementia care is knowing the person\u2019s life story and this is where families excel,\u201d Aisling Cooke continues. \u201cTriggering long-term\u202fmemories by asking questions about any past hobbies or\u202finterests can\u202fopen up\u202fthe opportunity for the person to tell stories about their life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u202fAmong the other techniques Dovida Caregivers use with their clients are: \u00a0<\/p>\n
Offering compliments \u2013 gives joy, supports\u202fdignity\u202fand builds self-esteem.\u202f<\/p>\n
Asking the person\u2019s opinion\u202f\u2013\u202freassures people that they are valued, and their opinion matters.\u202f<\/p>\n
Avoid arguing\u00a0\u2013 What\u202fpeople living with dementia\u202fare\u202ffeeling and experiencing is very real to them;\u202fcorrecting or arguing with\u202fthem\u202fis unlikely to reduce their distress and can sometimes make the situation worse.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Protect their dignity\u00a0\u2013\u202fTry not to draw attention to their\u202fmistakes.\u202fSmall\u202fmoments of kindness and sensitivity can help preserve confidence and dignity.\u202f<\/p>\n
Doing things together\u202f\u2013\u202fpromotes independence and allows\u202fthe\u202fperson\u202fto experience a sense of accomplishment.\u202f<\/p>\n
A person living with dementia can also experience changes in their behaviour or personality that can\u202fbe\u202fdifficult to understand.\u202f \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a person is feeling particularly upset or fixated on something,\u202fshifting the focus of the conversation can often have a\u202fpositive\u202feffect,\u201d Aisling Cooke explains. \u00a0<\/p>\n
This technique, known as \u2018redirecting\u2019,\u202ffollows\u202fthree simple steps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seek\u202fto\u202fUnderstand\u202f\u2013\u202fTry to understand what the person is feeling and what may be causing their distress.<\/p>\n
Validate\u202fand\u202fAcknowledge\u202f\u2013 Validate their feelings\u202fand acknowledge their emotions, even if they do not make sense to you.\u202fYou can do this by saying simple statements such as:\u202f\u201cI\u2019m sorry you are feeling\u202fupset.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n
Redirect or\u202fDistract\u202f\u2013\u00a0Change the subject to a different topic that is comforting\u202fto the\u202fperson.\u202fThis is\u202fwhere\u202fknowing\u202fabout the\u202fperson\u2019s\u202flife story\u202fcan be particularly\u202feffective.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Doing activities like making\u202fjigsaw puzzles, singing, listening to music,\u202fgardening, looking\u202fthrough\u202fmagazines\u202for photo albums,\u202fwatching quiz\u202fshows, and arts and crafts\u202fcan also be a useful\u202ftool\u202fin redirecting.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cActivities can\u202fprovide\u202fmoments of\u202ffun and happiness\u202fthat\u202fplay\u202fan important role\u202fin helping\u202fthe person\u202ffeel safe,\u202fsecure\u202fand valued,\u201d Aisling adds. \u00a0<\/p>\n
An\u202findividual journey\u202f\u202f\u00a0
\u201cOur\u202fCaregivers make a difference to people living with dementia and their families\u202fby remembering the\u202funique individual\u202fthat\u202fthey\u202fare\u202fand supporting them through\u202fgood communication, active listening,\u202fkindness, empathy,\u202fand\u202frespect.\u202fThese same principles\u202fcan be used by anyone caring for someone living with dementia and help them to continue living as comfortably as possible in the place they\u202fcall home,\u201d Aisling Cooke concludes. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To mark World Alzheimer\u2019s Day on 21 September, Dovida share techniques for dealing with loved ones experiencing alzheimer\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16619,22970,268624,2926,204,103,61,60,10108],"class_list":["post-632749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-alzheimers","tag-caregiver","tag-caring","tag-dementia","tag-featured","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-most-popular"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}