Comprehensive Guide to Caring for Individuals with Dementia and Other Memory Loss Conditions

So many people struggle to take care of their aging loved ones. The concern and uncertainty is constant. You aren’t a medical professional but all of a sudden you have become responsible for maintaining another human’s health. And not just any human, but one you care deeply about.

This level of pressure can be maddening. Memory loss conditions exacerbate the situation. In these cases, your loved one may behave erratically. They may act much differently than they did when they were healthy.

This makes the experience painful for the caregiver. It also makes it more challenging. There are ways to provide high-quality care and support for people in your life who are struggling with memory loss.

In this article, we take a look at things you can do to make the experience easier for yourself and the person suffering from chronic disease.

Keep Them Stimulated

Mental stimulation is good for people with memory loss. Not only will it improve their mood and keep them occupied but it may actually reduce the severity of their symptoms.

Why?

Engaging in mental stimulation, like puzzles or learning new things, helps people cope with memory loss symptoms because it keeps the brain active and promotes the formation of new neural connections. When the brain is challenged and stimulated, it can improve cognitive function, memory recall, and overall brain health. This mental activity encourages the brain to adapt and build resilience, potentially mitigating the impact of memory loss.

It doesn’t mean that the symptoms are reversed. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible. It does mean that the person you are caring for may experience a higher rate of “good days.”

You may also find the experience of providing them with care less stressful when you can engage in activities that both of you enjoy.

Keep Them Social

Social interactions produce an effect similar to the one described above. Social interactions are admittedly hard to come by for people who are suffering from memory loss. You naturally interact with them every day. However, to truly stimulate them, it can help to diversify their encounters.

Your ability to do this may ultimately depend on their condition. Some people in advanced stages of dementia cannot safely leave their homes. Often, they are uncomfortable in social environments anyone.

If your loved one seems up to it, however, you may be surprised by the number of opportunities available to them. Many assisted living homes have socials that connect people who are experiencing similar conditions. While some of these events are sealed only to patients, others may be open to the public.

You may also find that your local library, community center, or church provides similar opportunities. If you can’t get your human out into the world, consider bringing the world to them. Having the occasional guest may be an exciting opportunity for people with mobility concerns.

Practice Self-Care

In airplanes, there is a reason they tell you to secure your own mask before taking care of your children. It isn’t because flight attendants want to get back at the crying babies who supply their lives with an endless and unpleasant soundtrack.

It’s practical. You can’t help your child or yourself if you are passed out from lack of oxygen.

A similar concept applies to taking care of a sick loved one. Yes, they have great needs. No, they cannot meet those needs on their own.

That does not mean that you should forget yourself while you take care of them. Burnout is very real. It’s particularly common in healthcare. Almost half of all nurses leave the profession within five years because it’s hard.

If you can’t achieve balance, it will eventually have a negative impact on the quality of care you provide.
 
Take care of yourself. Try to get adequate sleep, eat right, and exercise. It will also help to apply stress management techniques as often as you find necessary. This can involve yoga and mindfulness exercises, but you can also weave holistic habits into your everyday routine.

Spend a little more time outside. Pet a dog. Hug your child. These are all activities that trigger a joy response in your brain— very literally flooding your body with chemicals designed to soothe you. Take advantage of that.

Know Your Limitations

It’s important to understand your limitations while handling this situation. Some people have a very firm perspective on administering care to a suffering loved one. They took care of you at one point in time. Now it’s your turn to return the favor.

That’s not always a practical or sustainable perspective. Caring for a child, though difficult, is a standard human experience. We are genetically inclined toward it.

Taking care of an adult with memory loss is not a natural experience. We are not genetically inclined toward it. Remember that people go to school specifically to learn how to administer the care you are now providing.

It’s not easy. It’s not always something you can reasonably be expected to balance along with your professional and personal responsibilities.

It’s painful to admit that you are in over your head. However, it’s often more kind in the long run to admit that you need help.

Sometimes this might come in the form of additional support from family members. Other times it may involve bringing in a third party. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You are in a very difficult situation. There is no right or wrong way to administer high-quality care. It’s ultimately a matter of figuring out what is best for you and your loved one.

Conclusion

The road ahead may not be easy, but it may help to keep in mind that you are far from the first person to find themselves in this position. Memory loss has plagued aging adults since the beginning of time.

There are processes and support systems in place to help people like you for that exact reason. Take care of your loved one, but also make sure you are acknowledging your own needs in the process.