Activities for the Family Caregiver: Dementia by Scott Silknitter

Author:Scott Silknitter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: R,O.S. Therapy Systems, L.L.C.
Published: 2015-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Approaches to Successful Communication

Be Calm

Always approach your loved one in a relaxed and calm demeanor. Remember, your mood will be mirrored by your loved one. Smiles are contagious.

Be Flexible

There is no right or wrong way of completing a task. Offer praise and encouragement for the effort your loved one puts into a task. If you see your loved one becoming overwhelmed or frustrated, stop the task and re-approach at another time.

Be Nonresistive

Don’t force tasks on your loved one. Adults do not want to be told, “No!” or told what to do. The power of suggestion goes a long way, and you get more with an ounce of sugar than you do a pound of vinegar.

Be Guiding, but Not Controlling

Always use a soft, gentle approach and remember your tone of voice. Your facial expressions must match the words you are saying.

These guidelines are effective and should be followed by you and all family members or other caregivers of your loved one. Let’s look at an example of how a common approach by all caregivers can be effective in creating a positive day.

For years, your husband made oatmeal raisin cookies for the family every Sunday afternoon after church. It is one of the happiest memories that your children have of your husband, their father, and their childhood. Everyone was talking, laughing, and enjoying some sweet treats. Your daughter, who now helps you with caregiving duties twice a week, has noticed your husband becoming more withdrawn as he has gotten older and the dementia has progressed. She noticed that the only thing your husband wants to do is sit and watch television. He falls in and out of sleep throughout the day in front of the television, disrupting a normal sleep pattern. Because of that, he constantly wakes himself and you up in the middle of the night causing you to be exhausted during the day. It is a terrible pattern that is wearing you down.

Your daughter remembers the Sunday afternoon cookie making and has tried weekly to get your husband to help make cookies again by asking, “Dad, would you like to make some cookies today?” Your husband always says, “No.”

One day, your daughter decides to take a different approach. She knows that your husband loved making the cookies and she knows that your husband loves her son, your grandson, Tommy. Armed with that knowledge, your daughter comes over at noon on her regular caregiving day. After you have left the house to run some errands, she says to your husband, “Dad, I need some help. I am trying to make oatmeal raisin cookies for Tommy and I can’t quite get them to come out right. I need someone to make sure I am doing it right, would you help me please?”

Your husband agrees to help your daughter for his grandson’s sake. Your daughter tells your husband she has the recipe and that they need to go to the grocery store and then to her house to bake. Your husband becomes nervous and is afraid that it is just a trick to get him out of the house to take him to the nursing home.

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