Did you know that according to the statistics from a Canada report of 2016, 340,000 Canadians were living with Dementia? 50% of the time, the primary caregiver was a spouse! It affects their marriage; it affects their family; it affects the finances; it affects their life.
We were fortunate to have Angela Gentile with us to shed some light on Dementia. Angela has 25 years of experience working with older adults on the clinical side of things. She has written various books and pieces on multiple platforms. She manages and co-administers Facebook groups and is also the source of information for many her in the community. She has shared a few tell-tale signs and symptoms of detecting Dementia in the early stages so that you can get help before it worsens.
Memory Loss
It is probably the most visible sign of all and something everyone would easily understand and recognize. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of Dementia. But, it is crucial to understand that having memory loss doesn’t necessarily mean that it is Dementia.
Coordination
Coordination is something that might start small but turn into something alarming. For instance, what are they doing first? Are they cutting the cheese first, or are they toasting the bread first? This is a small example, but it could eventually have them getting lost on their way back home or have problems with driving the car. The mind might stop slow down when it comes to coordinating in the most ordinary things, things they might’ve done all their life.
Communication
It might just start with them finding it difficult to find the words, but later they might begin finding it difficult to formulate standard, basic sentences. You’ll find them stopping mid-sentence trying to search for the right terms, or they might even forget what they were trying to say in the first place.
Disorientation
Another sign to look out for is disorientation. You will notice little things like them forgetting their way back to their room from the washroom or waking up thinking it is morning time and calling their friends and relatives only to realize that it was late in the night.
Loss of Judgement
They could quickly lose their ability of judgment. You might ask them not to go out alone, and they could fail to recall that and head out, forgetting that it would be an unsafe thing to do. Lack of judgment of consequences, right and wrong, of safe and dangerous could be a tell-tale sign.
Misplacing
One of the most common things you hear about Dementia is people misplace or lose things like keys. Sometimes they might even forget what the keys look like. Keeping things in the fridge that were supposed to be kept in the cupboard is another common example.
Tips for Family Caregivers
When you gain some experience and knowledge, it gets easier to look after people in need. As a caregiver, you should approach caregiving for the Dementia patient with love. So here are a few tips for you.
Minimizing arguing is the key
People who have Dementia are disoriented and forgetful; they might suddenly say that they see monkeys out of the window. You need to go with that instead of trying to argue or reasoning it out with them because it will only agitate the situation. Just agree with them and subtly come back to whatever you intended to talk about.
Taking Care of Yourself
You can only be there for someone when you are in a healthier space of mind. Most of the time, caregivers become so overwhelmed with their duties that they forget to look after themselves. It is perfectly fine to take short breaks and go to a mall or a movie while someone you know looks after them. Chat with a friend, read a book, anything that could relieve you from the stress. Being with a patient of Dementia or any other health problem can be taxing on your mental health too.
Talking to Someone
There are care groups on Facebook and other platforms where you can chat or talk to other caregivers online. Talking it out can alleviate your grief and sorrow. You can even journal it, write about it, or speak to a friend about it.
Regular Check-Ups
Dementia has no cure, but you can stop it from aggravating. Make sure you are taking them for regular check-ups to the doctor and maintaining track of the timeline and progress.
Gather Knowledge
The more you get educated on something, the more you know about it, and the easier it becomes for you to understand it and deal with it. There are many sources out there to gather knowledge from online, books, everything.
Taking care of someone who has Dementia might not be easy, but you are doing a fantastic job of being in the position of a caregiver. Hopefully, this blog will answer some of your burning questions on Dementia.