Excellent points, Kirbie! I'd like to share this in the Dementia Anthology and Caregiving Tips/Hacks article on Carer Mentor, if that's ok?
Dad's rheumatoid arthritis meant that his gnarled fingers, hands and lack of muscle prevented him from doing a lot of things, thankfully. On the flip side, there were a lot of falls, lifts and support manoeuvres.
Neither the Fire Dept not the EMTs helped when our elevator broke down and Mom (95, with dementia) was stranded downstairs in her wheelchair. I paid the porter and super of our building to carry her up three flights of stairs. It wasn't pretty.
That stinks! I was told that *all* fire departments will help people get around. Those guys came for us every time we had to take Dad for a foot doc appointment until he was allowed to walk on it again. Seemed like forever - I think it was only four weeks. We bought them some Cheryls cookies (local big cookie manufacturer that makes cookies everyone (but me) likes).
I learned the hard way when Mom no longer recognized the difference between edible and non-edible. She started to eat a finger full of the massage cream I kept on the table by her chair. Fortunately, for Mom, it was “out of sight, out of mind” so I moved everything but her kleenex and favorite snack to a nearby table out of her line of sight. Mom was over 100 years old when her dementia became that severe, and by that time she could not “transfer” (stand up or sit down) without assistance, so that decreased my worries and increased my possible solutions.
This is an excellent article, Kerbie. You gave so much valuable information! I now keep a light on in my bedroom. I had gotten in the habit of getting up in the middle of the night stumbling over my stuff in the dark. Now I don’t wake till morning but still leave on the light. Gives me a sense of security, too. Thanks for such comprehensive knowledge. It helped me; it’ll help others.
Very helpful information. I’ve recently has to take every in our bathroom down to the bare bones. And for some reason my husband can’t stand any clutter. Anything on table tops dive him crazy. A speck of paper on the floor will have him looking for it. If anything gets moved, he claims there is stuff all over the place. He claim the whole room has been rearranged.
Mom frequently got angry when she went from one room to another, claiming we has “changed everything.” My brother-in-law hit on the right distraction for Mom, asking her to tell him about a family picture.
People with dementia cannot handle complexities in conversation or within their environment. They have trouble processing it. The best thing you can do for him is to use simple sentences and keep the clutter, both visual and noise, to a minimum. It helps them process information better.
Excellent points, Kirbie! I'd like to share this in the Dementia Anthology and Caregiving Tips/Hacks article on Carer Mentor, if that's ok?
Dad's rheumatoid arthritis meant that his gnarled fingers, hands and lack of muscle prevented him from doing a lot of things, thankfully. On the flip side, there were a lot of falls, lifts and support manoeuvres.
Sure! Thanks
Neither the Fire Dept not the EMTs helped when our elevator broke down and Mom (95, with dementia) was stranded downstairs in her wheelchair. I paid the porter and super of our building to carry her up three flights of stairs. It wasn't pretty.
That stinks! I was told that *all* fire departments will help people get around. Those guys came for us every time we had to take Dad for a foot doc appointment until he was allowed to walk on it again. Seemed like forever - I think it was only four weeks. We bought them some Cheryls cookies (local big cookie manufacturer that makes cookies everyone (but me) likes).
I learned the hard way when Mom no longer recognized the difference between edible and non-edible. She started to eat a finger full of the massage cream I kept on the table by her chair. Fortunately, for Mom, it was “out of sight, out of mind” so I moved everything but her kleenex and favorite snack to a nearby table out of her line of sight. Mom was over 100 years old when her dementia became that severe, and by that time she could not “transfer” (stand up or sit down) without assistance, so that decreased my worries and increased my possible solutions.
Oh my. Dad was the same way. If he couldn’t see it, it wasn’t there. It took us a while to “uncover” everything after he passed.
This is an excellent article, Kerbie. You gave so much valuable information! I now keep a light on in my bedroom. I had gotten in the habit of getting up in the middle of the night stumbling over my stuff in the dark. Now I don’t wake till morning but still leave on the light. Gives me a sense of security, too. Thanks for such comprehensive knowledge. It helped me; it’ll help others.
You’re welcome!
Very helpful information. I’ve recently has to take every in our bathroom down to the bare bones. And for some reason my husband can’t stand any clutter. Anything on table tops dive him crazy. A speck of paper on the floor will have him looking for it. If anything gets moved, he claims there is stuff all over the place. He claim the whole room has been rearranged.
Mom frequently got angry when she went from one room to another, claiming we has “changed everything.” My brother-in-law hit on the right distraction for Mom, asking her to tell him about a family picture.
I’m glad he was able o help!
People with dementia cannot handle complexities in conversation or within their environment. They have trouble processing it. The best thing you can do for him is to use simple sentences and keep the clutter, both visual and noise, to a minimum. It helps them process information better.