Caring for Someone with Memory Loss
Finding Meaningful Moments
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia – short term or long term, can be very difficult and overwhelming. With a little planning and organization, you can alleviate some of the stress of caring for your loved one and help make the small moments meaningful.
- Structure your loved one’s day. People with dementia respond well to routine. Plan day to day activities around personal care and keep the routine as much as possible.
- Celebrate small successes. Give praise and celebration to small victories throughout the day.
- Stay positive and realistic. There may be bad days. Your mental health may suffer as you experience burdened or lonely feelings. Accept these feelings as normal and focus on small positive moments with your loved one.
Another way to find meaningful moments is to plan activities that you can do with your loved one that will be fun and successful for the person with dementia. Here is a list of simple activities you can do at home or even while visiting your loved one in a memory care community:
- Flip through old photos of family members and have your loved one tell you stories of the photos. Do not correct them if their story doesn’t match yours.
- Play a board game. Something simple like dominoes, or checkers. Be realistic, the game may not go your way, but they will feel the victory.
- Cut out pictures from magazines of vacation destinations. Paste them to construction paper and hold a conversation about your best vacations.
- Give your loved on a manicure or a shave. Make it feel like a high end spa, or professional barber shop.
- Prepare a flower bouquet and deliver to a relative or friend.
Contact Us
Caring for your loved one with dementia may become less manageable in the later stages of the disease. Contact us today to find out how we can help.
