Regular health checks are key
Firstly, the person with dementia needs to have regular health and medication checks. If they have vascular dementia, which is most commonly linked to smoking and high blood pressure, it’s crucial.
Encourage their family to arrange for them to see their GP twice yearly to review their medication. They may need new medication or benefit from a change to the current dosage.
Other ways to ensure wellbeing
Here are some other ways to manage the person’s health and wellbeing:
Encourage them to keep seeing their friends – their social circle may shrink as some friends won’t know how to interact or handle the fact that they have dementia. However, others will be keen to continue their friendship and keep socialising with the person. Encourage and support the person’s social life as much as you can.
Ensure they exercise regularly – even if the person has limited mobility, there are ways to make them more active. Armchair exercise can be a good idea, and there are usually local groups that offer these types of classes. Otherwise, walking, jogging, or swimming may be ideal, as they raise the heart rate and will increase blood flow to the brain. If the person was very active before their dementia, encourage them to keep pursuing their fitness and support them to do it if you can.
Encourage friends to make the person feel valued – we all need to think we can contribute something valuable. So rather than having friends visit who sit with the person and do things for them, suggest that they encourage the person to help them with tasks.
Make sure the person gets enough sleep – this can be difficult as a person with dementia may wake a lot during the night. Encourage them to nap during the day when needed, and avoid giving them coffee or other stimulants late at night. Exercise during the day may help to promote good sleep.
Ensure the person drinks enough water – the person may forget to drink or find it harder to identify thirst, so leave glasses of water around the house with notes saying ‘drink me’. Give the person cordials, juices or hydrating foods like jelly or fruit if they don’t like plain water.
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Spotting signs of a urinary tract infection
These can be common in older people who don’t drink enough water. They should be treated immediately, as they can cause problems that may result in a hospital stay that could have been avoided.
Symptoms include:
Pain or burning sensation when peeing
Frequent need to use the loo
Pain in the lower tummy
Very sudden changes in mood, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea and pain in the side, back or groin.
The person needs to seek medical help immediately if you suspect they have a UTI. <Link to UTI article>.
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Make dignity a priority
Maintaining the person’s dignity and self-esteem should always be a priority. Never make the person feel incapable of getting dressed on their own or cooking their own meals. Ensure the person feels valued and capable, even if they rely on you for support.
Respect their needs - allow extra time to assist with dressing and washing when going out.
Engage with them – distract the person with a conversation while helping them with personal care tasks. For example, creating a spa-like experience by giving a foot massage.
Empathise with them - consider how it feels for the person with dementia to be cared for during daily tasks like washing and dressing. Try to put yourself in their shoes.
Promote independence - Encourage the individual to do as much as possible without criticism or taking over.
Never correct them or contradict them. It could make them feel incapable or make them angry.