How you can help someone who is living with Dementia

We’ve put together some tips on how you can help support someone who is living with Dementia:

Raise Your Awareness

Start by educating yourself on Dementia so you can understand the experience of someone in your life living with Dementia in your life. Finding the right information, and having resources to refer to, can be empowering for someone living with Dementia and those around them. Dementia Australia has many resources, education courses and information about how you can help to empower and understand someone living with Dementia. Visit dementia.org.au to access these resources.

INCLUDE, ENCOURAGE AND EMPOWER

Create opportunities for people living with Dementia to contribute. This helps people stay connected and engaged in the community. Take the time to find out what someone might like to get involved in and how. Never underestimate the power of asking ‘what would you like?’ sometimes the simple act of asking can make someone feel included, encouraged and considered.

Listen

Listen to people living with Dementia with an open heart and mind. Body language can show you are engaged and present. Invite someone living with Dementia to share their ideas. You may need to use hand gestures and facial expressions to make yourself understood. Body language can show that you are engaged and present.

Create Moments Of Joy

If you know someone who is living with Dementia, look for opportunities for humour and ways to laugh together, if it is appropriate. If the person living with Dementia is in the later stages of dementia or has difficulty communicating, there can still be moments of joy. Look out for those moments when the person can engage with you or can react to things around them such as a favourite smell or food. A smile activity could even be looking at old photos together.

Make Your Environments Dementia Friendly

People living with Dementia often have different sensory perceptions, and their immediate environment can have a large impact on their wellbeing. Consider how the use of music and lighting can make a profound difference on how people react in some spaces. Making considered changes can make it easier for not just people living with Dementia, but also anyone with any sensory or physical challenges.

The ECH Care Hotel has a number of suites dedicated to people living with Dementia, giving them a safe and comfortable stay and providing much needed respite for their families and carers.

For more information or to book, visit ech.asn.au/care-hotel-respite