Activities for the Family Caregiver – Dementia: How to Engage / How to Live

By Scott Silknitter, Robert Brennan and Dawn Worsley

A follow up to “Activities 101 for the Family Caregiver – Dementia,” our latest book for caregivers of those with dementia is a unique, one-of-a-kind book that blends information on leisure and daily living activities. “Activities for the Family Caregiver – Dementia: How to Engage / How to Live” offers information and insight to enhance quality of life through improved social interactions as well as activities of daily living, safety and general caregiver information. Learn new communications and activities strategies to improve time spent with your loved one. Gain new insight as you learn the “how to’s,” “why’s,” and techniques of activities – daily living and leisure. Discover how to turn daily activities and routines into opportunities to start some joy.

Written by nationally recognized leaders in activities for those with cognitive disabilities, “Activities for the Family Caregiver – Dementia: How to Engage / How to Live” provides much-needed information to address the unique social needs of those with dementia and those who care for them.

“Activities for the Family Caregiver – Dementia: How to Engage / How to Live” is just one book in a series of books from R.O.S. Therapy Systems. Whether it is Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, traumatic brain injury or some other issue, R.O.S. is here to help improve quality of life for not only the patient but also the caregiver. The Activities for the Family Caregiver book series embodies the mission of R.O.S. Therapy Systems: To improve quality of life for seniors and their caregivers through activities and education. Each book in the series was written by industry experts related to the specific topic covered and is filled with valuable information and common sense tips to help families and caregivers engage their loved one in meaningful activities.

R.O.S. Therapy Systems was founded by inventor, author and speaker Scott Silknitter of Greensboro, NC, in 2010 as a project to help his mother and father in a 25-year battle with Parkinson’s disease and dementia. For more information about Scott or the R.O.S. family of companies, please visit www.ROSTherapySystems.com or contact us at 888-352-9788.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookPartnership
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781943285020

Book preview

Authors

Chapter 1

Dementia Overview and Symptoms

Dementia is not actually a disease. It is a collection of symptoms that can be caused by various diseases or injury. Dementia involves damage of nerve cells in the brain. This damage may occur in different areas of the brain causing dementia which may affect people differently.

In the most simplistic explanation, dementia causes problems with memory, communication and thinking.

Back in the day, dementia might have been associated with the word senile. Someone experiencing memory loss while trying to locate their keys, or remember someone’s name, may be said to be having a senior moment.

Regardless of how it is described, dementia is a struggle for everyone involved: your loved one, you as the caregiver, family and friends.

Your loved one did not choose to have dementia. You did not choose to become a caregiver. But they have both happened and you must be prepared to work with and adapt to the changes occurring in your loved one.

Dementia can be looked at in one of two ways: reversible and irreversible.

Some dementias can be caused by things like reaction to a medication, vitamin deficiency, depression, or an infection that can be reversed through treatment.

Dementias that are not reversible and get worse over time can be caused by a variety of issues and diseases. Dementias can be classified in several ways and are often grouped by what they have in common, such as what part of the brain is affected, or whether they worsen over time (progressive dementias).

Some of the most common symptoms of dementia that your loved one may experience and examples are:

Memory Loss

•Forgetting where their eyeglasses are

•Forgetting appointments

•Forgetting they have retired

•Forgetting they have kids

•Forgetting they are an adult that does not live with their parents anymore

Difficulty with Communication

•Cannot find the right words to tell you things such as having to go to the bathroom or what they would like to eat

Poor Judgment

•Making choices that put their safety at risk such as being out in the cold without a jacket

•Inability to determine the important from the unimportant

•Misjudging the intentions of others

•Giving away large sums of money

•Neglecting personal care and safety

Difficulty Planning and Organizing

•Making dinner or lunch

Deciding what to eat

Finding ingredients in the cabinet or refrigerator

Making a list of ingredients needed at the grocery store

Difficulty with Orientation

•Getting lost easily

•Inability to find way back home

Coordination and Motor Function Issues

•Losing their balance

•Trouble with walking, stepping or running (gait)

•Difficulty picking items up from floor

•Difficulty folding clothes

Personality Changes

•May withdraw from family conversations

•May become easily frustrated

•May become argumentative and defensive as a way not to let the family know how much the dementia has affected their abilities

•May become more sarcastic making everything into a joke

Inability to Reason

•Not understanding why they have to get washed up/showered

•Not understanding why they can’t go outside even though it is cold and raining

•Not wanting to take their medicine because they think they have already taken it

Inappropriate Behavior

•Taking things that do not belong to them

•Inappropriate sexual comments

•Demanding and making unreasonable requests

•Not compliant with normal social conduct, such as talking loudly in church

•Saying things that we usually only think but would never say to someone

Paranoia, Agitation, Hallucinations

•Thinking that others are talking about them

•Not wanting to take medicine or eat, claiming someone has poisoned it

•Frustrations quickly turning to aggressive verbal or physical behavior

•Misinterpreting sounds in the house even after explanation of what it was

Common Diseases That Cause Dementia

There are many types of dementia-causing diseases or issues, but the most common forms are:

Alzheimer’s Disease

The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, usually progresses over an eight to ten-year period.