6 little ways to help someone with dementia

Caring for someone with dementia can feel awfully hopeless, especially if you’re related to the one affected. With little available in terms of treatment and nothing whatsoever in terms of a cure, caregivers might be tempted to assume there’s not much they can do other than keep their loved one safe and calm. Setting those suppositions aside, though, can lead to meaningful gains for people with dementia, in both their quality of life and their physical health. As compiled from Prevention magazine, here are a few small steps you can take to help someone with dementia today.

Take them to lunch

Eating with a group can lead to not just better nutrition and hydration, but also improved quality of life, according to a recent study. “Eating and drinking together is key to feeling like we belong, that we are part of a group,” says study author Lee Hooper, a researcher at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia in the UK. “When we have dementia, we lose some of the skills to become part of a group, so I think it’s a lonely place to be sometimes.” And come on, it’s easy enough to at least occasionally eat alongside your grandparent with dementia — it might be exactly what they need to feel better.



Pick up your fork 

A recent study found that even if people with Alzheimer’s have lost the ability to perform certain tasks, they retain their ability to mimic behaviour. A person with dementia may at first appear puzzled by a fork and a knife, but remembering what to do next might be as simple as watching someone else start to eat first. In fact, all sorts of daily activities, from using a cellphone to buttering a toast, can be modelled and mimicked, says study author Ambra Bisio, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of robotics, brain, and cognitive sciences at the University of Genoa in Italy. “Caregivers might help the patients to keep intact, as long as possible, the ability to easily move in their familiar environment,” she says, by basically re-teaching them these essential daily skills.



Prep a meal they’ll recognise

Did you know that people with dementia or age-related memory issues often have an easier time conjuring up a memory from childhood than what happened yesterday? Knowing this can help facilitate eating, which often grows more challenging for people with dementia. That means up-to-date culinary inventions are probably off the table. “A beautiful deconstructed lemon meringue pie isn’t going to be recognised as food,” says Australia-based dietitian Ngaire Hobbins, author of Eat to Cheat Dementia and Eat to Cheat Aging. Instead, find out what foods he loved when he was younger and watch him chew with joy. Bring on the halwa and the alu gosht and watch them smile when they recognise the familiar aroma and taste.

Keep them hydrated

Terrifyingly, dehydration is a leading cause of death among people with advanced dementia. Thirst naturally decreases with age, and while people with dementia may forget to drink, they also might lack the communication skills to ask for something to sip, or have difficulty physically swallowing, according to Caring Kind, formerly the New York City chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Tactfully, encourage drinking throughout the day, and think outside the water bottle — maybe something flavoured like carrot juice or lassi will be more appealing. Even soup or foods with a high water content like cucumbers and watermelon in this scorching heat can help fight off dehydration.



Tune things up

Just like hearing your favourite song can snap you out of mood swings, music is a powerful tool for people with dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, it can calm agitated patients, lighten their mood, and even help with coordination, since the motor centre of our brains will respond automatically to sound. Similarly to serving recognisable foods, stick with hits from their early 20s, which they’re most likely to recall and react strongly to. If your parent or grandparents have memory troubles, bring on some Jagjit Singh or Mehdi Hassan and watch their mood change — for the better!

Take them to the closest garden

Spending time in nature makes most of us feel instantly at ease, and people with dementia are no different. A 2014 study found dementia patients who spent time in outdoor gardens had lower levels of anxiety. “Gardens may offer a form of therapy whereby people are more able to easily engage with their environment,” says study author Rebecca Whear, a research fellow at the St Luke’s campus of the University of Exeter in the UK. Maybe they’re comforted by the smell of the flowers or the feel of the soil, or even the memory of taking care of their own gardens or farms when they were younger, she says. If you don’t have a garden in your home, find a nearby park for an easy stroll.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2016.

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