One of the major challenges of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia is coping with the troubling behavior and personality changes that often occur. Our memory care in Roanoke, VA, can help to correct or counter undesirable behaviors like aggressiveness, hallucinations, and wandering, and help to alleviate eating or sleeping difficulties. Whatever problems you’re dealing with, it’s important to remember that the person with dementia is not being deliberately difficult. Often, your loved one’s behavioral issues are made worse by their environment, their inability to deal with stress or their frustrated attempts to communicate.
Identifying Root Causes
We take a comprehensive approach to understanding how we can help our dementia patients. The first step is in identifying the fundamental reason for their behavior. First, we look at body language and imagine what they might be feeling or trying to express. We try to spot elements in the environment that may have triggered the behavior. Secondly, we ask if the patient’s needs are being met. Sometimes, they may be hungry, thirsty, or in pain, and that may be the reason for their irritable moods or bad behavior. Thirdly, we look at the environment and see if making changes to the environment like introducing their favorite music can help to comfort the person. We respond in a compassionate manner to ameliorate the patient instead of inflaming their undesirable behavior.
Managing Environmental Factors
We understand that certain environmental factors can exacerbate undesirable behavior, and seek to manage them before they can act as trigger points for our dementia patients. We create a calm and soothing environment to make our patients feel calm and safe, modifying the environment to reduce potential stressors that can create agitation and disorientation. Potential stressors include loud or unidentifiable noises, shadowy lighting, mirrors or other reflecting surfaces, garish colors, and patterned wallpaper.
Introducing Stress-Reducing Techniques
In our retirement community, we encourage exercise since it is one of the best stress-relievers for dementia patients. Regular walking, dancing, and seated exercises can have a positive effect on many problematic behaviors. We have manicured gardens and sheltered walkways to encourage physical activities, even if the weather is gloomy. We also encourage our members to engage in their favorite activities. Someone who used to enjoy cooking, for example, may still gain pleasure from the simple task of washing vegetables for dinner. We try to involve our members in as many daily activities as possible. Folding laundry, watering plants, or going for a drive in the country can all help to manage stress.
Outstanding Care in Our Assisted Living Community
We have decades of experience in giving compassionate care to our members with dementia and pride ourselves on taking a deeply personalized approach to care. Our community has long been known for upholding excellence in person-centered memory care. We strive to give peace of mind to the family of our members who are under our care.
