Taking care of a person who is suffering from dementia is a challenging task. You cannot expect a free and acre-free life for you. Though there are plenty of challenges but it is not that of a big deal as some people make it sound like. If the person you are taking care of is your loved one, you won’t feel bad anything about it.
Moreover, if you are a care provider or a professional, you must have the right attitude to deal with patients. They are already suffering from dementia and all they want is some support and happy moments. If you want to improve your attitude towards them, you should understand what they are going through. This will be of great help.
But for family members, who are living abroad away from their elders, they need some professional help. And it is not easy to find caretakers who are both professional and kind. So if you are looking for one, you can visit here.
Assisted living has the most professional staff with the necessary training. They offer multiple options depending upon your preferences. You can choose the bedroom size and whether your elder would like a private bathroom. Likewise, they take care of elderly people and have their wellness Centre, beauty salon and movie theater.
Furthermore, they have interesting art and craft room, library, fireplace and also a chapel. Thus, you won’t have to worry about anything related to the living environment.
Challenges you might face
While you are offering help to someone who does not even know his name, you will face some challenges. Although it is not true for everyone, the situation and disease level of every patient are different. Here are some of the challenges you might face;
1 – Repeating things
You are going to repeat the things a number of times. Therefore, you must mentally prepare yourself for this. If someone asks you for something, you must tell them repeatedly. For example, an old lady asks you the way to the dining room. You tell them. However, while going there, they forget the way again and ask you again for it.
For once or two, you might accept it. But if it happens multiple times the same day, you will feel frustrated. Thus, you are likely to talk harshly with them. But this cannot be your all-time attitude. They are likely to forget things.
Therefore, if you are working at such a place, you must either take them to that place. And if you are busy with something, you can ask someone to do so. It might seem too much at first but once you get habitual of these things, they won’t trouble you.
2 – You might see a changed attitude every time
Another common thing about people suffering from dementia is their changing attitude. Sometimes, they will talk politely but they will have a completely different attitude the next time. They might even shout at you or call you with names. But this is only natural for them to behave like this.
This usually happens when you ask them to do something. For example, your center has arranged the arts and craft class. You ask the granny to paint something and she is doing it quite well. But suddenly her expressions change as she remembers something. But because of their disease, they won’t remember all the details. Thus, she will become agitated and anxious to recall that memory. This will change her attitude.
Consider yourself in her position. If you forget where you put your house keys and there is no way to enter inside, how much you will be frustrated. And if someone asks you to draw something at such a time, you might even swear at them. This is the same for people with dementia. Forgetting a loved one and trying to remember about them is a tiring thing.
However, the situation changes. They are not always in a bad mood. Once you get along with them, you will know the things that make them angry. So you will try not to bring those in front of them. Thus, they will have a pleasant mood for a long time. They will remain happy around certain things, so keep them around them.
3 – More financial pressure for the family members
If you are not a very rich person, you might feel stressed over the expenses. The cost of dementia care centers is quite high. At least for the middle-class group. So you might admit them in such a place to make sure they are taken care of. But with time, you will feel stressed out.
With progressing time, financial responsibilities will become the biggest challenge for you. Moreover, the sigh of relief might also become a painful pill to intake. Because if your elders don’t remember you while you are stressing over financial problems, their thankless attitude will disturb you. You will feel fatigued and you might even question all that you have done for them.
4 – You must be careful with everything
You should live in reality and be prepared for everything that you might face. And to do so, the most important thing for you is to have an empathizing attitude. The people who suffer from memory problems forget their own identity. They don’t know who they are and what they like.
Thus, you have to remember everything about the patient you are assigned to. Especially in case of any food allergy. They don’t know what they are allowed to eat and whatnot. So their meal time requires special attention.
Likewise, you must know how to empathize, if you are dealing with a person suffering from dementia. They might become confused about themselves. At that time, they won’t recall their name and anything about themselves. So they will ask you about it. So you should tell them kindly without getting frustrated. Even if you get tired, you cannot vent your anger on them.
