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Living Well – health and wellbeing
As part of Dementia Action Week, we are sharing content from our Dementia and Mental Health training course.
There are ways to support individuals to live well on their ‘journey’ through dementia.
- Staying healthy – illness, especially an infection can make the symptoms of dementia worse. Always report and record any signs of illness and refer to a doctor as necessary.
- Diet and fluids– eating a healthy diet will help to keep the individual well. Having plenty of fluids will keep the brain hydrated and working as well as it is able to. A good fluid intake will help to prevent infections too, especially urinary tract infections.
- Exercise – exercise contributes to good health and has a very positive effect on mental health and wellbeing.
- Social involvement – keeping in contact with family, friends and the local community will prevent isolation and promote inclusion.
- Activities and hobbies – will provide a sense of purpose and achievement.
- Assistive technology – will assist the individual in maintaining independence. Many different types of assistive technology are available such as memory prompt devices and location aides.
- Communication and interaction – As dementia progresses, the individual will probably experience some difficulties with communication.
Let’s look at communication in more detail
Problems with short-term memory (recent memory), can prevent individuals from being able to follow long conversations. They may also have difficulty remembering words and sometimes use the wrong words.
Some people will repeat the same question several times, not
- When you are communicating, consider the environment. Too much noise can put anybody off track.
- Take any sensory problems into consideration; difficulties with sight or hearing.
- Give the person time and make sure you are at the same level as them so they can see you properly.
- Speak clearly, using short sentences.
- Think about your tone of voice and facial expressions.
- Try not to finish the person’s sentences; be patient.
- Use images to show what you mean or show them items; for example, would they like to wear this dress today or that one.
- Use the person’s life history to start a conversation.
- If an individual is repetitive, try getting them involved in an activity.
Put yourself in their shoes
Behaviours
Behaviour is a reaction to a feeling.
Imagine you are on a train and you get off at a station. Looking around, you
How might you feel and how might this show in your behaviour ?
You might be:
- frightened
- agitated
- restless
- pacing up and down
- angry
- frustrated.
These are all signs that a person is distressed. A person with dementia might show any of these types of
- they don’t feel comfortable with the environment
- they are having difficulty communicating
- they are in pain
- they feel threatened or over-controlled
- there is an unmet need.
It may be that you can quickly provide support to settle their distress; the person may need reassurance, distraction or a referral for pain medication.
Sometimes, the trigger for distress can be harder to discover and manage. By closely observing the individual, learning about their life history and working in partnership with others, you may be able to discover why they are behaving in particular ways and take steps to address this.
For example, a gentleman keeps lying down on the floor with his arms in the air, moving his hands. When he is asked to get up he becomes quite agitated. Staff
By reading his life history and talking to the family, it is discovered that he used to be a car mechanic; he is going through the motions of checking a vehicle. Providing him with basic tools and engine parts, he is happy to sit at a table working.
We have written 4 blogs for Dementia Awareness Week
EduCare for Health & Social Care contains other essential training courses that map to both the Care Certificate and Core Skills Training Framework for Health.
To mark Dementia Action week we are offering 10% off the entire package.
To find out more speak to an advisor today; call us on 01926 436 212, send us an email or complete the
