Dementia can cause a senior to become anxious and agitated, and these symptoms can easily become more severe if no steps are taken to keep the senior calm and comforted. If your elderly loved one is living with dementia, Kitchener senior care professionals suggest a few things you can do to make him or her feel more comfortable at home and enhance his or her quality of life.
Maintain Routines
Your loved one’s daily activities should be simplified and consistent because change can cause seniors with dementia to become confused and uncomfortable. Practicing daily routines can increase your loved one’s ability to function, which allows for some independence. Performing tasks independently can boost your loved one’s self-esteem and provide the comfort he or she needs and deserves.
Install Adequate Lighting in the Home
Bright lights can help alleviate your loved one’s dementia symptoms and enhance his or her mood. Good lighting in the home also reduces the risk of falling, and you may want to consider installing higher wattage light bulbs to make the home safer to navigate. During the daytime, turn on the lights inside your loved one’s home. At night, turn on nightlights so your loved one feels less disoriented.
Encourage Spending Time Outdoors
Your loved one may feel comforted when outdoors, and you can make a few adjustments to the outside of the home to encourage him or her to spend time in the sun. Make sure the pathway from the door to the yard is clear, and set up a garden where your loved one can safely plant a variety of plants and vegetables. Being outdoors can reduce the anxiety seniors with dementia experience and promote their independence as well. Gardening can help calm your loved one because it is a stimulating activity that may tap into his or her past experiences.
Create a Calm Environment
Seniors with dementia tend to feel more comfortable when they receive KW elder care in homes with calm environments. Keep guests to a minimum because having too many people inside the home at once may cause your loved one to become nervous, confused, and agitated. Designate an activity room for your loved one where he or she can watch television, relax, and escape the noise and other interruptions taking place around the home. The privacy can help soothe his or her dementia symptoms.
Providing opportunities for mental stimulation can also help your loved one feel comforted. At Kitchener Home Care Assistance, we offer a revolutionary program called the Cognitive Therapeutics Method (CTM), which helps slow cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. Through the use of CTM, seniors with memory-related conditions are able to build new routines and remain socially engaged. In addition to dementia and Alzheimer’s care Kitchener seniors can rely on, we also offer specialized stroke and Parkinson’s care. For more information on our at-home care services, please call (519) 954-2111 to speak with a qualified Care Manager.