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naturecoaster · 4 years

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Coping with Dementia: The Upside of Adversity

Many years ago, I told someone I had a problem, and she said, “No, you have an opportunity.” I thought this was just a silly platitude, but over the years, I began to understand what she meant. Every event has positive and negative aspects, and it is we who choose which way we are going to look at it. Social distancing during the Covid-19 crisis simply destroyed my routine way of doing things when every workshop, speaking engagement, and support group from early March through mid-May was canceled. It happened to all of us. My partner Ed and I used up nearly two weeks doing projects around the house. Then we realized we really needed to get back to work.

From left to right are Debbie Selsavage, trainer and President of Coping with Dementia, and Friends of Citrus employees Heather Whitbeck, Ken Ricks, Mark Wright, Jack Millian, Eric Carpenter, Kristen Floto, Cynthia Poole, and Maryrose Reynolds at a training program last year. Getting back to Work with a New Opportunity We started looking for the opportunity in our problem and realized we needed to find a different way of working with our dementia care partners. I have always resisted video technology for educating and consulting because it seemed so distant and impersonal, but now it seemed to be the only option. We were finally kicked into action when my friend Linda Burhans, creator and host of the Connecting Caregivers Radio Show, called and asked, “Have you ever done your support groups on line?” She too was looking for the opportunity in her problem, which was similar to ours. Not only did Linda’s call help me decide to take the on-line plunge, but we also decided to team up as co-facilitators on a series of on-line support groups using the Zoom internet platform.

Getting back to work looked very different for Coping with Dementia. Image by Jagrit Parajuli from Pixabay

Online Dementia Caregiver support meetings reaching all the way to Canada

What an eye-opener this experience has been! It is definitely different from meeting with a group of people in a room, but that “distance” and “impersonal” quality I was so concerned about has just not happened. Our first online support groups have been warm, meaningful, fun, and even joyful! And they have provided outreach and connection that were previously not possible. For example, the first meeting Linda and I facilitated had our usual core of central Florida care partners, but people also joined us from Washington state, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Trying Something New provided New Opportunities Ironically, all I needed to discover this new opportunity was to take the advice I give care partners every day of the week. When they struggle with loved ones whose personalities and behaviors are changing due to dementia, I often say, “You have to try something! Your situation has changed. Your old responses and behaviors will no longer work. Try something new!” E-mail or call me to learn about how to join our online dementia care partner support groups. They’re free!

Debbie Selsavage is a Certified Trainer and Consultant in the Positive Approach to Care and a Certified Dementia Practitioner. She authors a monthly column to assist caregivers in coping with Dementia. Her company, Coping with Dementia LLC is dedicated to making life better for individuals living with dementia. Contact Debbie at [email protected]. Read the full article

#alzheimerscare #alzheimerseducation #dementiatherapy #tipsforusingmusicasaneffectivetherapy

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naturecoaster · 4 years

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Coping with Dementia: Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine

If caring for a loved one living at home with dementia were not difficult enough under normal circumstances, now it is further complicated by social distancing guidelines during the Coronavirus crisis. For this trying time, you can no longer attend a support group, nor can you get respite by taking your person to daycare. Now, you are stuck at home, which in and of itself may increase your loved one’s anxiety. What is a care partner to do? Now is a good time to remember to try those simple therapies that will not only consume time productively but can bring comfort to your loved one. Here a few examples: Nostalgia Therapy for Dementia It is not uncommon for individuals living with dementia to lose their recent memories, but be able to retain recollection of an earlier time in their life. Sometimes, they “go there” and seem to live in that earlier time. This should not be dismissed as “delusion;” rather it should be recognized as a valuable tool for effective care. Use nostalgic artifacts or a family photo album to reminiscence about their past life to validate the reality that seems to give them comfort. Remember that their reality or recollection of the past may not quite be the same as yours. For example, if you are sharing a photo album, don’t say, “Do you remember who this is?” This question is a challenge to confirm what you know to be real. Rather, just point at the photo and say, “What can you tell me about this?” Your person with dementia may misidentify the person or the situation in the photo, but this does not matter. Let them talk about how they see things, then praise, affirm, and validate what they have told you.

Nostalgia therapy and hug therapy are two great tools for the Dementia caregiver.Image by Dan/Kelli Oakley from Pixabay Hug Therapy Hugs are proven to work, especially for people living with brain disorders, but many of our care partners don’t practice it enough. I saw it work with my husband Albert, so effectively that he was removed entirely from mood-altering medication. If your loved one is not comfortable with hugs, just try a loving touch and remind them that you are there for them. This will help them understand they are not alone. Music Therapy Music Therapy is another proven non-medical therapy that can work wonders. Similar to Nostalgia Therapy, it seems to work best when we choose music that our loved one enjoyed between the ages of eight and 20. To see just how effective music therapy can be, go to YouTube and watch “Alive Inside.”

Music is an effective therapy for Dementia and Alzheimers. Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay Here are five tips for how to use music as an effective therapy for Dementia & Alzheimers: For each individual, identify the songs that evoke memories of happy times. One hint in identifying this playlist is the fact that the music we most strongly embed in our memories are the songs we recall from ages 8 to 20.To calm a person during mealtime or the morning hygiene routine, play or sing soothing music. You need not rely only on I-pod technology. If you know what they like, sing to them.Avoid over-stimulation by eliminating competing noises. Shut the door. Turn off the television. If using a radio, select a station where the music is not interrupted by commercials. NOTE: There is very little on television that is calming or suitable for an individual living with dementia, especially not televised news. When they view a story about a fire or bombing, they don’t know whether it is in London or across the street. Care facilities that use television as a baby sitter for individuals living with dementia are definitely not practicing enlightened, effective, or compassionate care!Encourage movement and involvement. Encourage the individual to clap or tap their feet to the beat, to sing along, or even to dance if the environment and circumstances enable them to do so safely.Pay attention to the person’s responses. If they like a particular song, play or sing it often. You may get tired of it, but they will not. If they react negatively to a particular song or style of music, make a note and eliminate it from the playlist. Doll Therapy Many times, a soft doll will become the constant companion of a person living with dementia, especially women. It seems to give them comfort and a sense of purpose. Some people think an older person holding a doll is “demeaning.” I don’t agree. If it gives your loved one comfort, it is not demeaning. There’s a lesson here. We, as care partners, must sometimes put our own opinions and feelings aside in favor of how something makes our loved one feel.

Dogs and cats provide comfort to those suffering from alzheimers and dementia. Image by Besno Pile from Pixabay Animal Therapy No need to say much about this! Who doesn’t love a puppy or a kitty? Many memory care communities maintain “house pets” because they know how much their residents enjoy and love them. But if you do not own a pet, there is an alternative similar to doll therapy. On the internet, you can purchase dog or cat “dolls” that seem to be breathing while they sleep. Their side rises and falls while they sleep in their little bed. You can even get cats that quietly purr while they sleep and breathe. I once gave one of these breathing stuffed animals to a woman with dementia who was in a state of anxiety. Her daughter said, with dismay, “But it’s dead!” I said, “Maybe to you, but maybe not to her.” The woman with dementia put the stuffed animal in her lap, smiled, and became calm. This happened during a support group meeting, and for more than an hour, she sat and quietly stroked her new stuffed animal friend. Plant Therapy Even people in later stages of dementia can love the beauty of plants. However, if they are able, you may want to ask your person to help you tend your plants. Sure, they may make a little mess, but working in the soil can give them long periods of joy and comfort.

longleanna / Pixabay

Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine for Coping with Dementia and Alzheimers

These and other simple and time-tested therapies are very effective for individuals living with dementia. This is because, long after a person with dementia has lost the ability to think and reason, they still retain the ability to “feel.” This is because the organs in our brain that govern our emotions – the amygdalae – survive and continue to function long after dementia has ravaged the “thinking” parts of the brain. Consequently, the “feeling” part of our brain can be the last and only tool a care partner has to work with. We can do this with simple therapies that have been known and used for decades; in some cases even for centuries. They are proven to work, and they can provide comfort also to you, the care partner, during these trying and unusual times when you are confined to your home. Debbie Selsavage is a Certified Trainer and Consultant in the Positive Approach to Care, and a Certified Dementia Practitioner. Her company, Coping with Dementia LLC, is dedicated to making life better for individuals living with dementia. Contact Debbie at [email protected]. Read the full article

#alzheimerscare #alzheimerseducation #dementiatherapy #tipsforusingmusicasaneffectivetherapy

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naturecoaster · 4 years

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Coping with Dementia: Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine

longleanna / Pixabay

Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine for Coping with Dementia and Alzheimers

#alzheimerscare #alzheimerseducation #dementiatherapy #tipsforusingmusicasaneffectivetherapy

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naturecoaster · 4 years

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Coping with Dementia: Watch your Vitamin D

I have a friend who spent a 35-year career in a northern state, and each year struggled with seasonal depression, especially in the gray months of January and February. Once retired, he headed for sunny Florida. It was not just the cold and snow he was tired of. It was those sunless months when his spirits crashed. A few years after moving to Florida, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune lung disorder, which his doctor has been able to manage with medication. Everything seemed to be going well until this spring when suddenly he became fatigued and began to experience difficulty breathing. He was so tired, there were days he could barely find the strength to get out of bed. Breathing tests and CT scans showed that his lung disease had not progressed, but he felt so bad that he became convinced he was dying. When time rolled around for routine bloodwork, it was discovered that his Vitamin D level was extremely low. He started a daily Vitamin D supplement, and soon his fatigue was gone, his mood improved, and his breathing eased. He had been experiencing severe depression, but how was this possible in sunny Florida; and why now? Vitamin D is important to Health Due to his lung condition, my friend self-isolated to the extreme when Covid-19 arrived last winter, and his new quarantine-based lifestyle had become pretty much “sunless!” When he realized this, his depression suddenly made sense. #alzheimerscare #alzheimerseducation #caregiversforcompromise #dementiatherapy #tipsforusingmusicasaneffectivetherapy Read the full article

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naturecoaster · 4 years

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Coping with Dementia: Because Loneliness Kills

A few years ago, I spoke with a hospice chaplain who said, “You know, I don’t believe people die from dementia. I believe people with dementia die from neglect, loneliness, and grief!” I will never forget those words because they so accurately describe the cruelty of this disease. Late last February, assisted living and memory care facilities began to close to the public, setting in place quarantine systems to keep their residents safe from Covid-19. Suddenly, residents were isolated even from their own families, many of whom previously visited regularly to assist with their care. Now, more than six months later, we are beginning to witness the cruel outcome of isolation, especially for individuals living with dementia who do not have the cognitive ability to understand why this is happening to them. Many are declining more rapidly than they should, and some are dying alone without the support of their families. Facilities have tried to compensate with window visits, on-line meetings, and other novel methods of keeping residents in touch with their loved ones. But these are poor substitutes for closeness and real human touch, and for people with dementia they likely create more confusion than relief. When these survival tactics were established, none of us had any idea how long this situation would continue, and now we find ourselves horrified that there appears to be no end in sight. #alzheimerscare #alzheimerseducation #caregiversforcompromise #dementiatherapy #tipsforusingmusicasaneffectivetherapy Read the full article

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naturecoaster · 4 years

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Coping with Dementia: Time for a Gratitude List

Covid-19 has been tough on us. Isolation, fear of infection, and the confusing debate that has gone on over the scientific aspects of the virus are making us crazy! None of us is immune to the negative social impact of our situation, and especially not individuals living with dementia, their families, and their care partners. Think you have it tough? How would you like it if the only contact with your loved one locked down in a memory care facility is to try to speak to them on a cell phone while waving and smiling through a window? This is emotionally difficult for those of us with unimpaired thinking processes, so imagine how confusing it must be for your loved one who is living with dementia. The challenges of Covid have been a frequent topic within the care partner support groups I facilitate on line each week. So, recently I began to suggest a technique that I have seen work time and again: Make a Gratitude List, or write a letter of gratitude to someone you know. “That’s it!” you say? “A Gratitude List when everything in my life seems to have gone to hell?” Yes. In fact, those times when we seem to have the least to be grateful for are the best times to identify and talk about the positive things in our lives. This is not some kind of new-age, rose-colored-glasses mind game. There is real science behind it. #alzheimerscare #alzheimerseducation #caregiversforcompromise #dementiatherapy #tipsforusingmusicasaneffectivetherapy Read the full article

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