I. Daily life care
1. Poor memory.
Patients in the early stage of dementia show forgetfulness of near things, often cannot find their things, suspect that others have stolen his things, quarrel with others for this reason, do housework often lost, go out easily to get lost, forget to pay for buying things, patients in this period have the basic ability to live independently, all family members need to do is to give reasonable and orderly reminders and arrangements. Suggestions.
(1) Set up writing boards or sticky notes at home and make signs in prominent places.
(2) Put common items in a fixed place so that the patient can find them.
(3) Have the patient bring a card with the name and address of a family contact when he or she goes out, so that he or she can be contacted in time if he or she gets lost.
(4) Try not to let the patient involved in money transactions, if very necessary must be repeatedly explained clearly.
2. Bathing.
Bathing is a big challenge for patients with dementia, and it is recommended that
(1) Adjust the time of bathing to a time of day when the patient is calm and willing to cooperate, and try to make it a routine.
(2) For some patients with dementia, bathing may be frightening and uncomfortable; be gentle, patient and calm, and do not force it.
(3) Try the water temperature at the beginning, do not leave the patient alone in the bathroom, and check the bathroom mat to reduce the risk of falling.
(4) Try rubbing the bath.
3. Dressing.
(1) It is recommended that the patient be dressed at the same time each day so that he or she can gradually make it part of his or her daily routine.
(2) Plan enough time and encourage the patient to dress himself/herself if there is enough time.
(3) You can buy more pieces of clothes of the same style.
(4) The patient can be given clear step-by-step instructions.
(5) Try to pick clothes that are comfortable and easy to take off and put on, and minimize the use of buttons and zippers and belts.
4 .Eating.
(1) Ensure a quiet and relaxed eating environment to allow the patient to concentrate on eating.
(2) Straws and jugs with spouts can be used so that patients can drink more easily.
(3) Provide a limited choice of several foods, with additional meals in addition to the three meals a day.
(4) If the patient is going to have difficulty swallowing, paste food can be given to avoid choking.
5 .Activities and exercises.
(1) Do some simple activities is best, can be broken down into a number of small steps, not when the completion of a step, promptly give praise.
(2) Integrate activities into daily activities, such as asking them to help clean the room, etc.
(3) As much as possible, the patient can do the exercises independently, such as walking, swimming, playing table tennis, dancing, or planting flowers.
(4) Do more activities when the weather is nice.
(5) Find out what kinds of exercise activities are available in your community. A senior center may offer many activities that seniors enjoy, and a community geriatric room may provide an exercise area when the weather is bad.
6. Sleep.
For people with dementia, nights can be difficult to spend, and many patients have sleep disorders. It is recommended that.
(1) Go to bed at the same time every day to form a routine.
(2) Encourage patients to get enough exercise during the day and limit the amount of sleep during the day.
(3) Set up dim wall lights in bedrooms, halls and bathrooms so that darkness does not frighten and confuse the patient.
(4) Encourage the patient to fall asleep at night in a quiet, calm tone, dim the lights, remove noise, and play soft music if the patient wishes.
7. Defecation.
Many patients with dementia lose the ability to use the toilet, and as their disease progresses, they may even become incontinent. Suggestions.
(1) Daily toileting with the patient should be regular and as strict as possible.
(2) Watch for signs that the patient wants to go to the toilet, such as fidgeting and tugging on clothes, and respond immediately.
(3) To avoid nocturnal incontinence, restrict access to all forms of fluids at night.
(4) When going out, try to have the patient dress simply and take an extra set of clothes just in case.
8. Home safety.
(1) Install locks on all windows and doors leading to the outside world, especially for patients with wandering conditions.
(2) Lock the kitchen pantry and any windows where detergents and chemicals are stored.
(3) Label and lock medications, and keep knives and lighters in a safe place out of the patient’s reach.
(4) Place items in the home neatly to avoid obstacles tripping over the patient.
(5) Do not allow the patient to use the gas stove.
(6) Avoid driving.
II. Care of mental behavior symptoms
1.Irritability.
First of all, find the cause of irritability, such as the patient wants to go home, wants to go to the toilet or physical discomfort, etc., to immediately solve and eliminate, in addition to diverting attention can also reduce the symptoms, you can watch TV with the patient, talk about things that interest the patient.
2. Repetitive behavior.
Patients often forget what they have just said or done, so they often ask the same questions or do the same things over and over again. When this happens, they can be asked to do different things to distract themselves. Or write down the questions that the patient often asks and show them to the patient to strengthen the memory; if necessary, give physical comfort to the patient to calm down the patient’s anxiety.
3 .Hallucinations and delusions.
As the disease progresses, the patient may have some hallucinations and delusions, which may be precursors of physical illness , to be recorded and told to the doctor. It is recommended to avoid arguing with the patient about the reality of what the patient has seen or heard, to respond promptly to the emotions expressed by the patient, and to provide emotional comfort. It is also possible to divert the patient’s attention to other topics and activities; turn off the television or change to another station when the television is staged with violent and disturbing television programs; make sure the patient is safe and has no access to any objects that can be used to harm the person.
4. Aggressive behavior.
(1) Do not have dangerous objects around a person with dementia who has aggressive behavior, so that the harm of the patient’s aggressive behavior is minimized.
(2) Be wary of patients who exhibit such behavior.
(3) Keep communication with the patient simple and express the patient’s needs through identification and imitation.
In conclusion, when facing a patient with dementia, the caregiver or family member will definitely have psychological and behavioral reactions, and the caregiver should have great patience and love instead of rejecting them in a simple and rough way so as not to hurt their self-esteem. The caregiver needs to slowly experience and find the best individualized method in daily life.