What attitude should be the caregiver of a person with dementia to conflict situations?
Written by:In the action of caring for someone with dementia, say the psychologists who have to keep in mind some basic principles and attitudes of psychology that help and encourage conflict management:
Dignity and Respect.
Our actions and ideas must always respect the patient during all phases of the disease. Feelings and emotional memories always last, so we must avoid speaking for example the condition of the patient in his presence, because it can be very painful. The treatment of a person with dementia should and must always be attentive and delicate. In addition dignity prevail over any other consideration.
Clashes.
For a person with impaired memory, judgment and reasoning, arguments have no reason to be. Or try to force the patient follow our more or less complex instructions and perform certain tasks under compulsion can alter you further.
No ring.
The caregiver should not replace all the patient's activities, but only those who can not get to do. Its main objective is to assist and facilitate the planning autonomy core activities (grooming, eating, dressing, etc.), instrumental (make a phone call, prepare food, etc.) and advanced (talking while walking, go a show , etc.) naturally adapted to the limits that the patient can.
Stress management.
Minimize stress as much as possible the patient will be one of the main objectives of the caregiver. The dementia patient lives and understands another rhythm caregiver patience and respect of the times required by the sick person to perform a particular activity are fundamental to any action taken. Thus, we will reduce stress.
Adaptation Caregiver.
The intellectual and physical limitations on the autonomy of patients with dementia have to be assumed by strengthening and stimulating always positive and good times of the day. A suitable environment with good energy and can help reduce some behavioral disorders.
Adapt the environment.
The three features that should have a suitable environment are:
- Keep it simple: the environment should be as streamlined and comfortable as possible, while preserving the personal memorabilia of the patient to help stimulate your memory.
- It is stable: establishing routines, not change the daily habits and tastes of the patient as their food, favorite color or odor, if it is possible to live at the same address.
- Make it safe: avoid or eliminate anything that poses a risk to the patient and caregiver.