At PeachTree Place Assisted Living Community in West Haven, Utah, we don’t just provide you with senior living apartments near Salt Lake, we help our residents thrive, including those dealing with conditions like dementia. We understand the struggles people face when dealing with diagnoses like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s from the perspective of the patient and caregiver.
Safety, comfort, and taking care of even the most mundane tasks can be both physically difficult and emotionally draining. Let us help you find relief.
Living With A Dementia Diagnosis
For the senior with dementia, life can become increasingly confusing and disordered. The inability to remember once-familiar people and routines can lead to feelings of frustration and anger. At later stages, a person with dementia may become incontinent, have difficulty eating and drinking, become increasingly restless, be prone to angry outbursts, or even lose the ability to speak.
Late-stage dementia patients are increasingly susceptible to infections such as pneumonia. These growing challenges make life difficult for the patient and in-home caregivers alike.
Struggling To Give The Best Care
You may find yourself feeling frustrated at your family member’s inability to perform simple tasks. Facing their angry outbursts may cause you to react in turn even when you know it is the disease and not the person responsible for their actions. From a caregiver’s standpoint, as the disease progresses, your friend or family member may become unpredictable. They may wander around, get lost, hallucinate, and even engage in aggressive behaviors.
As your caregiving duties continue to grow. You may feel resentful, even trapped, and these feelings probably make you feel guilty, as well. But you can take action to make life easier, including seeking outside help when the time comes.
Tips for Helping A Senior With Dementia
Understanding that your parent, or other family member with dementia, may not be in control of their words and actions is critical. This often requires a high level of patience.
When caring for someone with dementia, you should also try to:
- Keep your tone and body language positive.
- Limit distractions when communicating (turn off the TV, radio, etc.).
- Speak clearly, and simply.
- Ask yes and no questions.
- Break activities down into simple steps.
- Communicate behavioral changes with a doctor, in case there is a physical reason.
- Join support groups.
- Consider whether it’s time for a move into a supportive senior community with experience in dementia care.
Don’t Neglect Self-Care
You love your family member with dementia and don’t want to trust their care to just anyone. Yet failure to take care of yourself can lead to stress and eventually burnout.
Some things you can do to care for yourself while also caring for a dementia patient include:
- Be kind to yourself – recognize your successes, not just your failures.
- Set aside ten to fifteen minutes a day for deep breathing or other relaxation techniques.
- Consider yoga, tai-chi, prayer, and meditation, or other calming mind-body practices.
- Take an occasional day off – enlist a trusted friend or family member to watch your loved one.
- Eat well and get plenty of sleep.
- Don’t isolate yourself – stay in touch with friends, family, and support groups.
Assisted Living Apartments In Utah For Seniors With Dementia
If you live in Salt Lake City, West Haven, Ogden, or the surrounding areas and are looking for help in caring for your senior family member with dementia, consider PeachTree Place Assisted Living. After moving into one of our senior apartments, your loved one will enjoy all the comforts of home with expert, around the clock support.
Call To Schedule A Tour Today
Our all-inclusive support includes a range of memory care and other dementia services personalized to fit your family member’s unique and changing needs. Dementia care is demanding, but you don’t have to manage it alone. Call today and schedule an appointment to tour our beautiful and vibrant senior community.
