AstridGuide – Dementia & Alzheimer Guide

Know How It Feels to have Dementia

It will be easier for a person to properly deal with a Dementia patient when the nature of the condition is perfectly understood. This is much more applicable for those providing care and treatment to Dementia patients. Here are seven ways to gain some understanding about Dementia:

1. Books written by Dementia patients.

A Dementia patient is the only one who experiences all the trouble caused by this condition; and there is no better person to tell the stories of Dementia other than the patient themselves. Thus, books about the condition authored by a Dementia patient are a good source of information about Dementia.

2. Paying attention to what Dementia patients are saying.

Just like the previous method, listening to Dementia patients’ stories is like getting firsthand information on the details of the condition. It is best to know the present state of mind of the patients and how they feel about the difficult condition.

It is interesting to get their opinion of their disability and having them relate their past with the present. Researchers, as well as medical practitioners, spend hours of conversation with a Dementia patient. This broadens their knowledge and understanding of the condition.

3. Listening to a Dementia patient’s daily life communications.

Dementia patients are encouraged to talk about their daily activities. It is important to know how they feel about their daily schedule of activities now that they have the condition, as well as their reactions when trying to perform old tasks. Patients having this conversation probably have confused minds, but what’s important is what the conversation is all about.

4. Observing Dementia patients’ activity and behavior.

A keen eye can be given to the behavior and action of a Dementia patient. With careful attention, observers can learn the things – words and actions – a Dementia patient can possibly forget. A patient can do this in a natural way without making a big deal out of it.

5. Learning from people who had experience with Dementia.

People who had some indications of Dementia and developed some decline in memory, depression and other Dementia symptoms can tell many real things about this condition. If these people can be asked to share their experiences with Dementia, a lot of reliable information can be learned from them.

6. Using imagination.

Some words or lines written in a poetic style can depict the real sorrow and pain related to Dementia. Poetry has its own unique style to describe any kind of pain, grief, sorrow. Several emotional verses have been written describing the actual pain and sorrow related to Dementia. These poetries can serve as a tool in getting some insight about the fatal condition.

7. Role-playing.

This is an artistic way of knowing the real condition of a Dementia patient. Caregivers get to spend long periods of time with a Dementia patient, learning from them as they go along. With the things they learn, caregivers can easily demonstrate in a role-play the patient’s feelings.