When a loved one has dementia, learning a new way to communicate with him or her can be difficult. Fortunately, with a little effort, you can still maintain a special connection with your loved one, even as his or her memory fails. Often, your in-home elder care provider can offer advice based on his or her experience working with people with dementia in Memphis . These tips will also help.

Set the Tone

You can have more productive communication with a loved one with dementia if you choose the right time and place. Make sure there are no distractions, such as TV or radio, when you begin a conversation. Sit close to your loved one and position yourself so that you are facing him or her directly. The lighting should be adequate so that your face can clearly be seen. Keep your body language relaxed, even if you feel nervous and frustrated. It is more useful to begin conversations when your loved one’s needs have been adequately satisfied, so ask his or her elder care provider when your loved one has last eaten and when he or she usually sleeps.

Keep it Simple

Dementia can make following multi-layered conversations difficult, so keep things simple to avoid frustration. Stick to one topic. It can even be helpful to choose a topic in advance and plan some of the things you would like to say. Your sentences should be short, and you should choose simple words. Don’t talk to your loved one as though he or she is a child. Address him or her in a normal tone of voice and be respectful. Dementia can be isolating, and your loved one may feel like he or she is no longer valued.

Be a Good Listener

Your loved one with dementia will still have many ideas he or she wants to express, so be sure to be a good listener. If you aren’t sure you have understood, repeat the point back to verify it. Pay close attention to your loved one’s body language. As dementia affects your loved one’s ability to speak, his or her body language will be a central part of how he or she communicates. Always let your loved one express his or her feelings without dismissing them.

No one likes to think about his or her own death or the death of a loved one, but planning for end-of-life care can make a painful situation easier for everyone. Hospice care in Memphis can play an important part in end-of-life care. Watch this video to learn more.

Try starting a conversation about end-of-life care before someone is facing a terminal illness so that you know your loved one preferences. There are many different options, including terminally ill caregiving at home and hospice home care that provides support for both the patient and the family. Deciding about end-of-life care before it is needed helps families focus on the time they have left together when a terminal illness occurs.

If you’re providing in-home care for a loved one in Memphis, then you already know how challenging it is to get everything done and still be able to provide the companionship your loved one needs. If you aren’t quite ready to switch to full-time assisted living services, then short-term in-home care could be right for your family. Short-term elder care is known as respite care.

Watch this video to find out more about caregiver burnout. The medical school student featured here explains that caregiver burnout may be indicated by physical symptoms such as insomnia, frequent illnesses, and fatigue, as well as mental and emotional signs such as mood swings, irritability, and changes in temperament. Since being a caregiver leaves little time to care for your own needs, it’s advisable to seek respite care services before you become in dire need of them.

Good nutrition is important for seniors, but those with dementia often experience challenges getting the right nutrients. This may be because seniors living with dementia may have a reduced appetite, be too distracted at mealtimes, or have problems feeding themselves. If you’re concerned about your loved one’s health, consider talking to a home health aide near Memphis. Specialized elder care services are available for individuals with dementia, including assistance with meal preparation and feeding.

Poor Appetite

Elder care providers can assist your loved one with a decline in appetite. Among seniors with dementia, poor appetite is often attributable to poorly fitted dentures, changes in medications, and the lack of sufficient exercise. Some people may not want to eat because they no longer recognize the food or because they no longer have a strong sense of taste and smell. It may be helpful to serve five or six smaller meals instead of three main meals. Preparing the individual’s favorite foods and encouraging him or her to move a little more may both help improve his or her appetite.

Mealtime Distractions

Individuals with dementia have trouble with stimulating environments. They may have trouble eating if there are too many distractions present, which can inhibit their ability to get all the nutrients they need . Elder care providers often prefer to keep the television and radio turned off during mealtimes. It can also be helpful to eliminate clutter to encourage a calm environment. For example, it’s best to remove the vase of flowers or bowl of fruit from the table during mealtimes. Only set down the plate of food, a napkin, and needed utensils.

Feeding Problems

It may take an hour or longer for an individual with dementia to consume a meal. Fortunately, dementia care providers have plenty of time to sit with the individual and keep him or her company while eating. It’s generally preferable to allow the individual to retain as much independence as possible while eating, even if self-feeding becomes messy. The caregiver may serve bite-sized finger foods to encourage the individual’s self-feeding abilities. During the mid-to late stages of dementia, it can be helpful to prepare foods in a way that minimizes difficulty chewing and swallowing, such as by grinding up foods or serving soft foods.

If you have a loved one in the hospital, it’s likely that your focus is on his or her immediate well-being. But it is important to take a few minutes to consider his or her post-discharge needs, particularly if your loved one is an older adult who may require assisted living services. First, meet with the hospital care coordinator to discuss which challenges your loved one will face when he or she returns home. Then, contact a caregiver agency in Memphis and schedule an elder care consultation.

When you meet with the representative at the home health agency, bring along a list of your loved one’s anticipated post-discharge challenges. These will likely include mobility limitations and self-care impairments. Develop an elder care plan for your loved one that addresses all of his or her needs. Discharge planning will help your loved one focus on his or her recovery and maintain a high standard of living despite his or her limitations.

The families of loved ones who are terminally ill already know all too well that the grieving process begins before the death occurs. But anticipatory grief is not as widely acknowledged and so families may not take the time that they need to acknowledge their own emotional needs. It’s important for families to reach out for help when needed. A caregiver agency near Memphis can provide in-home hospice care to help families focus on their emotional and spiritual needs.

Understanding Anticipatory Grief

Anticipatory grief shares many of the same characteristics as grief after a loved one has passed. Some individuals describe feeling as though they’re losing their minds or can no longer think clearly. Anticipatory grief encompasses anger, sadness, loneliness, depression, and guilt. It can also bring feelings of fear, fatigue, and emotional numbness. It’s important to understand that there is no “normal” way to grieve for someone who hasn’t yet passed on; everyone will have a different experience. It’s not uncommon for individuals to imagine what life will be like after the death; some may go as far as to imagine what they will do with the person’s possessions or with the family home. These thoughts should not be interpreted as indicating callousness. They are simply the mind’s way of trying to cope with an unimaginable situation.

Identifying End of Life Services

During such a difficult time, your family needs elder care services more than ever. At this stage, these services are known as end of life care or hospice care. While many individuals feel that they ought to provide all of the care themselves, this is often not practical and it can detract from the process of saying goodbye to the dying family member. Instead, hire a hospice caregiver to provide services such as personal hygiene tasks and light housekeeping. You owe it to yourself to give yourself a break.

Saying Goodbye Without Regrets

Ask yourself if you will have any regrets when your loved one is gone. Many people regret never truly saying goodbye or making amends for past conflicts. When the dying person is a parent, many adult children regret never reassuring him or her that they will take care of the surviving spouse. Spend time with your loved one in quiet reflection, share treasured memories, and say goodbye without regrets.

When acting as a caregiver in Memphis, you’re vulnerable to feeling more stress and experiencing poorer health due to lost wages and not making time for yourself. If you’re providing in-home care for a loved one , it’s essential to be aware of the symptoms of caregiver burnout. Watch this video to learn more.

Providing elder care can be exhausting, time-consuming, and emotionally draining. The greatest challenge that most caregivers face is making time for themselves and knowing when they need a break. Common symptoms of caregiver burnout include depression, decreased productivity at work, and ongoing fatigue. If you’re struggling with these symptoms, consider taking advantage of elder care respite services.

If you’re considering elder care in Memphis for an aging loved one with dementia, you may have heard of gerontology. This field of study is closely related to hospice care and assisted living. Watch this video to gain an understanding of gerontology.

Gerontology studies aging at both individual and population levels. This interdisciplinary field uses information taken from biology, public policy, humanities, economics, psychology, sociology, public health, and more. It looks at how aging and society affect one another, how disease patterns affect health and aging, and how aging can influence policy. Gerontology does not study the clinical and medical aspect of aging.

If a senior member of your family is receiving end-of-life care in Memphis, you may be wondering how to speak to their grandchildren about the situation. While concealing the nature of a loved one’s illness and passing may seem like it would be beneficial for children, experts agree that not speaking to children clearly about their grandparent’s end-of-life care can cause them to feel frightened and confused.

Be Open

Losing a family member is difficult for both you and your children. You may find it challenging to speak openly with children about your parent’s hospice care, but doing so can make the process easier for everyone. It’s recommended that you introduce the idea of death while the grandparent is still ailing, instead of after his passing.

Use Examples

You can begin the conversation by talking about the loss of a pet, or simply use a dead plant or insect as an example. By explaining that death means the end of life and that every living creature passes on one day, you can present the concept in a way that is easier for children to understand. Remember to keep words and descriptions simple, and to not go into detail about your parent’s particular illness.

Remain Direct

Your child will probably have questions about their grandparent’s hospice care. Try to answer inquiries directly, and without displaying too much grief or emotion. Experts advise that you give your child simple but honest responses to their questions, and to avoid telling them fairy tales. It’s okay to say that you don’t know all of the answers to their questions, rather than confuse them about the nature of death.

Allow Communication

Depending on your particular situation and the health of your elder loved one, you should allow your children to spend as much time with their grandparent as they would like. After talking to them about death, they may be scared to see their grandparent initially, but short visits can help ease their fears and allow them to better cope with the loss of their loved one.

Elder care affects the whole family, but women in particular tend to carry a large part of the burden. If you are contemplating issues surrounding elder care in Memphis for a loved one in your family, this video offers some insight into the impact of the issue on women.

Women tend to take the lead when it comes to elder care for loved ones because of the roles that women traditionally play in families. This can leave women carrying a great deal of the responsibility at the expense of their own well-being. If a woman in your family is devoting her time to acting as a caregiver, consider contacting a home health aide to help shoulder some of the work and give your family member time to care for herself and her own needs.