Getting Ahead in Dementia Care

10/7/2020

Getting Ahead in Dementia Care | Hillstone Healthcare | Ohio based Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities.

a Getting Ahead in Dementia Care by hillstonehealthcare | Oct 7, 2020 | Assisted Living, Blog, Elderly Care, Hillstone Healthcare, Nursing Homes

A dementia diagnosis is never easy, but new care guidelines provide some hope. As researchers learn more about this condition, they have been able to find more effective ways of helping those with dementia.

A booklet produced by Skills for Care and Dementia UK provides valuable insight about family caregivers.

This unique set of guidelines focuses on best practices when dealing with family caregivers, so it ensures that the needs of the person with dementia and their entire family are being met.

Better Communication Between Family and Healthcare Professionals Is Invaluable One of the key points of the new guidelines is that healthcare professionals need to prioritize interactions with family members. As dementia progresses, a senior may not be able to communicate their own needs.

At this point, having input from someone who knows the person with dementia can be very helpful. By taking the time to talk to family caregivers, healthcare professionals can fine tune their care to address the senior’s unique personality and needs. Knowing things like a senior’s pain tolerance or what makes them upset can help healthcare professionals interact with the senior in a more positive manner.

hillstonehealthcare.co/getting-ahead-in-dementia-care/

1/2

10/7/2020

Getting Ahead in Dementia Care | Hillstone Healthcare | Ohio based Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities.

Social Workers Are Just As Important as Medical Providers Dementia is fairly unique because it has strong behavioral, emotional, and social components. The guidelines emphasize the importance of leaning on social workers when a family is dealing with a dementia diagnosis. They can assist with the various legal and logistical challenges of caring for a person who has dementia. Social workers’ ability to coordinate things like in-home care or financial assistance can address some of the key difficulties of having dementia.

A More Sensitive Approach Benefits Both Families and Healthcare Staff More and more dementia care is starting to focus on the emotional side instead of the medical. Though medical care can help with some of the dementia symptoms, both patients and their family caregivers point out that the emotional aspects of the disease are the most challenging part. When faced with the idea of losing identity and forgetting impactful memories, people tend to feel stressed, anxious, and confused.

Things like dementia support groups may provide much-needed emotional care during this challenging time.

Recent Posts Getting Ahead in Dementia Care How to Help Elderly Parents Accept Assistance Google and Apple Launch a Health Tech Company What are the signs that your loved one needs extra assistance?

How Have Nursing Homes Combated Loneliness During COVID-19?

Š 2020

hillstonehealthcare.co/getting-ahead-in-dementia-care/

2/2