In the action of caring for a person with dementia, psychologists say that we must always keep in mind some basic principles and attitudes of psychology that help and encourage the management of conflict situations:
Dignity and respect.
Our actions and ideas must always respect the patient during all phases of the disease. Feelings and emotional memory last forever, so we should avoid talking about, for example, the patient’s condition in his presence, as it can be very painful for him. The treatment of a person with dementia should and must always be attentive and delicate. In addition, their dignity will prevail over any other consideration.
Confrontations.
For a person with impaired memory, judgment or reasoning, discussions have no reason to exist. Trying or forcing the patient to follow our more or less complex indications and to perform certain tasks in a forced manner may upset him even more.
Do not override.
The caregiver should not replace all the patient’s activities, but only those that he/she cannot do. The main objective is to help and facilitate autonomy by planning basic activities (grooming, eating, dressing, etc.), instrumental activities (making a phone call, preparing food, etc.) and advanced activities (chatting while walking, going to a show, etc.), naturally adapting to the limits that the patient can.
Stress management.
Minimizing the patient’s stress as much as possible will be one of the caregiver’s main objectives. The patient with dementia lives and understands at a different pace, the patience of the caregiver and respect for the time required by the sick person to perform a particular activity are essential in any action taken. In this way, we will reduce stress.
Adaptation of the caregiver.
Intellectual and physical limitations in the autonomy of the patient with dementia have to be assumed, always reinforcing and stimulating the positive and good moments of the day. An appropriate environment with good energy can help reduce some behavioral disorders.
Adapt the environment.
The three characteristics that a suitable environment should have are:
- Keep it simple: the environment should be as simplified and comfortable as possible, always preserving the patient’s personal objects and mementos that help stimulate his or her memory.
- Stable: establish routines, do not change the daily habits and tastes of the patient, such as food, colors or favorite smells, if it is possible to live in the same home.
- It must be safe: avoid or eliminate everything that poses a danger to the patient and the caregiver.