Toileting Assistance For People With Dementia

By Starr Hospice Staff

As dementia-related diseases progress, incontinence may occur. This can be from forgetting to use the bathroom when one feels the urge to urinate or have a bowel movement, not recalling the bathroom’s location, not being able to get there in time, or not being able to make the cognitive connection that tells one what the bathroom is used for. All these problems are results the of body’s declining brain function—not just memory, but also deterioration in information-processing functions, motor skills, vision, and more. Incontinence usually begins in the late-middle stage of dementia diseases, and it is something many family caregivers […]

Assessing Agitation and Aggression

Starr Hospice Staff

People who are experiencing cognitive decline may exhibit agitation at times, more so as the underlying disease advances. A person who is agitated may ignore someone who is speaking to them, grunt or have other verbal outbursts, refuse to eat, or resist regular tasks like bathing. Agitation can also present as anxious behaviors, such as pacing and fidgeting. There’s always the chance that a person is simply having an off day. But usually, something in the body, environment, or routine needs to be addressed.  When a new behavior is observed, first consider pain that the person may be unable to […]

Activities for Dementia Patients

By Starr Hospice staff

Caregivers need to be creative in planning activities for dementia patients, keeping in mind that what works for one person may not work for another. Know your person and get creative when creating an activity for them.  What did they consider to be their identity before the illness took hold? How can you help them to still connect with that piece of themselves, while modifying for their changed abilities? Painting/drawing: Art brings joy to many, but you may need to adjust the method for those whose declining fine motor skills prevent holding brushes and the like. Suggest a theme or […]

Boredom and Dementia Patients

By Starr Hospice staff

Although a person living with dementia can experience a range of physical deficits, it’s memory issues and cognition changes that stand out the most to caregivers. A person who was once very talkative may now struggle to follow along with a story or get frustrated by word loss when speaking. When conversation becomes challenging, friends and family may be unsure of how to continue fostering the relationship. In fact, it’s common for loved ones to reduce visits to the assisted living facility or stop going altogether as the dementia progresses. They’re likely thinking, She doesn’t recognize me anymore, so there’s […]

What is Sundowning?

Sundowning is a lay term used to describe a set of symptoms that some people living with dementia experience late in the day. It generally describes a state of increased confusion and anxiety that presents in the afternoon; for some, it extends into nighttime. Common symptoms include aggression, pacing, confusion, wandering, and repetitive behaviors. Some people experience hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, sundowning occurs in as many as 20 percent of those living with Alzheimer’s Disease. Other dementia-related illnesses such as Lewy Body Disease, Fronto-Temporal Dementia, and Vascular Dementia also commonly present sundowning. It is common in middle […]

Communication and Caregiving

Communication and caregiving go hand-in-hand. When you talk to the person you are assisting, do they understand you? And do you understand them? When you care for a person who has hearing loss, it’s easy to mistake them for being uninterested or even cognitively slow. However, the reason they are not engaging may simply be because they can’t hear you. A few techniques can help care go smoothly: Stand, sit, or squat so you are at eye level with the person. Keep your face in the light so that your lips and expressions can be seen. Use simple sentences that contain one action or […]

Dementia and Nutrition Concerns

People living with dementia generally do not need to follow a special diet, unless they have co-morbidities or allergies that have certain requirements. However, since dementia is a progressive condition, care providers will need to become increasingly more involved in food preparation and serving relative to the person’s status of decline. By mid-stage, dementia may cause a person to forget to eat or leave them confused about how to use appliances for food preparation. Even under assisted living or full-time care, a person with dementia needs special attention to mealtimes in order to maintain proper nutrition. Vision problems. As we […]

How to Boost Nutrition When Appetite is Poor

Some older adults or otherwise frail individuals struggle with mealtimes due to a lack of appetite. How do you boost nutrition when appetite is poor? Not eating can contribute to unsafe weight loss, malnutrition, and other health problems. Disinterest in food could be caused my something minor, like a side effect of medication. Or, it could be a symptom of something more serious that needs medical attention. After a doctor has ruled out causes for concern, the caregiver can use some simple tactics to boost calorie intake in a healthy way. (Note that for a hospice patient, food and drink should never be forced. The person […]

Challenges With Feeding Elderly Patients

Feeding elderly patients can sometimes be challenging. Changes in cognition, mobility, and energy level might leave a person disinterested in eating. Mealtimes are important because they provide a welcome break in the day. If it is not too distracting for the person in your care, meals can be eaten with friends or family. It is important that mealtimes be enjoyable, so that the person will look forward to eating. Let’s review some best practices for feeding elderly patients. First, create a calm environment. This might mean feeding young children in the home at a different time or location, so that […]

Helping People With Dementia Understand Infection Prevention

How can we help our loved ones with dementia understand about infection prevention? As the COVID-19 pandemic surges on, you are probably worried about keeping your family safe. If you’re caring for someone who has dementia, explaining the importance of hand hygiene and other prevention protocols can be a challenge. Dementia is not just memory loss; it also affects the brain’s ability to receive and process information. We know at least two parts of the brain are dying. Cells are deteriorating, brain tissue is lost, and the overall size of the brain shrinks. The language center that is located in […]

Does Dementia Impact the Brain’s Emotional Center?

People living with dementia are experiencing deterioration of brain functions. How does dementia impact the brain’s emotional center? The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mass hysteria that has touched all parts of the globe. For some, fear of not knowing when or if society will return to normal is debilitating. Others are amped up about restrictions on personal freedoms and commerce. Even the most cool-headed of us is experiencing uncertainty on some level. Whichever concerns we carry, we are all processing these circumstances the same way: via the brain’s amygdala region, the emotional center. Now, if the average adult is experiencing […]

Vision Decline in Dementia Patients

  Caregivers commonly observe vision decline in dementia patients. People living with dementia commonly experience changes to their vision beyond what’s expected as part of the normal aging process. As dementia-related illnesses cause progressive brain deterioration, a person will experience certain sight deficits because the brain is no longer processing what the eyes see in the same way. Some common problem areas include: Depth perception The patient may exhibit difficulty in navigating steps, grabbing objects, and distinguishing between two- and three-dimensional scenes. With the latter, for instance, the person may try to pick up flowers from a floral-printed tablecloth. Reduced […]