caregiver talking with elderly woman in wheelchair

October 5th, 2023

Toileting Assistance For People With Dementia

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 […]

March 22nd, 2023

Assessing Agitation and Aggression

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 […]

December 21st, 2022

Activities for Dementia Patients

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 […]

December 21st, 2022

Boredom and Dementia Patients

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 […]

July 21st, 2022

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 […]

caregiver applies face lotion to patient

June 30th, 2022

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 […]

February 21st, 2022

I Just Received a Dementia Diagnosis—What Do I Do Next?

Hearing a doctor confirm that the “memory issues” you (or a loved one) have been experiencing is, in fact, early symptoms of dementia would reasonably cause panic. Receiving a dementia diagnosis may send your thoughts to the worst-case scenario, and you might find yourself mentally frozen out of fear. What should you do? How should you prepare? But a dementia diagnosis does not mean that your life is over, nor does it define who you are. It means, however, that there will be challenges and obstacles ahead, not only for you, but for your family and friends. Thinking about those […]

January 11th, 2022

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 […]

January 11th, 2022

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 […]

adult daughter helping elderly father to eat

January 11th, 2022

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 […]

August 13th, 2021

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 […]

An animatronic cat is presented to an elderly man.

January 15th, 2021

Starr Hospice Animatronic Pet Program for Dementia Care

Starr Hospice is using animatronic pets to help lessen the impact that pandemic-related isolation has had on its patients. Joy for All Companion Pets™ by Ageless Innovation are robotic dog and cat toys designed specifically to comfort older adults in need of companionship; early studies specifically charted the benefits for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of cognitive decline. The pets are battery powered and, when stroked, become alert and make lifelike noises and small movements. With a generous donation from NorCal Minis car club, Starr Hospice was able to purchase 20 Joy For All Companion Pet cats […]

July 23rd, 2020

Dementia and Appetite Decline

Persons living with dementia commonly exhibit challenges with eating, but the reasons vary. Let’s explore a few possible causes of appetite decline. Memory trouble. In the early stages of dementia, when a person may still be caring for himself or functioning with limited assistance, the problem might be simply forgetting to eat. When this problem is discovered, it’s a sign that care partners need to provide more frequent living assistance and check-ins. Vision decline. As we age, we naturally experience a narrowing of our field of vision. For a person living with dementia, this process is on overdrive and it […]

June 2nd, 2020

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 […]

illustration shows reduced peripheral range

December 26th, 2019

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 […]

October 1st, 2019

How Alzheimer’s Disease Affects Communication

Memory loss is one of the widely known symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but many other skills and abilities become impaired as well. Persons living with dementia experience changes in the brain’s temporal lobe that affect their ability to process language. Even in the disease’s early stages, caregivers may notice a decline in formal language (vocabulary, comprehension, and speech production), which all humans rely upon to communicate verbally. Symptoms include word loss, confusion during the conversation, not being able to follow a storyline, and decreased speech. Word Loss and the Brain’s Temporal Lobe As a child is learning a language, nouns […]

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