How Is The Life Of A Patient With Dementia?

A patient with dementia can suffer from several conditions: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Binswanger and others. This disease is characterized by the gradual loss or weakening of mental abilities. The diseases that cause dementia are difficult to bear, both for the patient and for his family. Today we will discuss the life of a patient with dementia. Memory loss and lucidity and behavior problems can create exasperating situations.

The life of a patient with dementia is characterized by depression

Depression is increasingly affecting patients with dementia. The fact that they do not understand what is happening to them, the memory losses that confuse them and the lack of understanding and delicacy of those around them make the patients discouraged and melancholy.

Many families cannot understand what the life of a dementia patient is like. Therefore, they often make mistakes such as:

• He treats the sick like children: He speaks before them as if they were not there and did not hear or understand anything. Families also avoid having mature conversations with the sick.
• She screams and scolds him: Scolding and scolding a person with dementia because she did something she isn’t even aware of makes her feel guilty and doesn’t help her understand what is happening to her at all.
• Ignore them: Not talking to the patient like you are talking to an adult, yelling at him or ignoring him will make him feel alone. This feeling will gradually lead to depression.

The patient with dementia should feel supported and receive attention. His family must make an effort to look at things from the patient’s perspective and understand that the situation is difficult for everyone involved.

Patients with dementia need to feel independent

The fact that a person suffers from dementia does not mean that his family has to do everything for him. There are many things she can still do on her own, but the family needs to supervise and help her when the tasks become too difficult.

For example, if the patient has difficulty closing his buttons, the family must take care to offer him clothes without buttons.

If the patient with dementia begins to have severe memory loss, additional measures can be taken. For example, the patient can be reminded where the bathroom is located without screaming at him or by putting a sign on the door of the room called “Bathroom”.

The dementia patient may feel disoriented and confused due to memory loss and sudden inability to do simple things, such as tying shoelaces. Therefore, a little help from the family will make him feel much better and more capable.

The life of a patient with dementia: leaving the house

Many times, the family of a dementia patient refuses to let him leave the house for fear that he might get lost. But the solution is not to isolate the patient in the house, because this leads to depression.

If no family member can take care of the dementia patient all the time, you can hire someone to do it. The patient can get lost very easily if left alone at home, can leave the house for no reason and can forget how to return.

It is important that the patient suffering from dementia spends a lot of time with loved ones. He will appreciate group activities such as walking, visiting the park or sitting in the shade in the garden. He must feel the full support of the family, this preventing the isolation and the appearance of the feeling of loneliness.

Another great idea is for the patient to join a support group to slow down memory loss and alleviate behavioral disorders.

There are also specialized medical centers, where patients with dementia can interact. You should take the patient from time to time to visit such a center to spend time with people who understand their problems and frustrations and be able to make new friends.

The life of a patient with dementia is not easy. Patients have a behavior that they cannot control and are limited in carrying out certain actions. That is why it is essential to support and help them with everything you can.