Does a loved one, perhaps your mother, father, grandmother or grandfather, have dementia? Is their memory deteriorating so much that they are having difficulty even doing their daily tasks? Perhaps the doctor has told them that they have Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common type of dementia. The treatment for this condition depends on the cause.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely stop dementia or slow its progression. However, in addition to medications to control symptoms, there are various treatments and counseling services that can help make their daily lives much easier. That's what we're talking about today.
Occupational Therapy
An occupational therapist can assess your loved one's strengths, weaknesses, and cognitive abilities to determine where they need the most help. You can also work with this therapist to improve some of their physical skills.
More importantly, the therapist can help them make their home a safer and more suitable place for them . Think about how helpful things like this can be:
- Organizing the wardrobe: Organize the wardrobe in a way that makes it easy to find only the clothes that are appropriate for the weather. This way, they won't get stuck choosing clothes.
- Home and garden safety: Build a fence around your garden to ensure safety so you don't get lost on the road when you leave the house.
- Old hobbies in a new way: Simplifying things they used to enjoy (such as solving puzzles) into something they can do now, giving them the opportunity to continue doing what they love.
- Simplifying the kitchen: Labeling and organizing kitchen items so that even a simple task like making tea can be done easily step by step.
Physical Therapy
A physical therapist can help improve your loved one's balance and reduce the risk of falls . The exercises used in this therapy can also be very good for their mental well-being.
The most important thing to remember is that even if they have pain somewhere in their body due to dementia, they may not be able to tell you exactly what it is. A physical therapist can check for such pain and provide the necessary treatment.
Different treatment methods and their goals
You can simply see from this table the treatments we discussed here and their main benefits.
| Therapy | Main purpose and advantage |
|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy | Preparing the environment to make daily tasks easier and safer. |
| Physical Therapy | Improve body balance, prevent falls, and manage pain. |
| Validation Therapy | Understanding the patient's feelings and acknowledging them, providing them with psychological comfort. |
| Reality Orientation | Reducing confusion by reminding people of the current time and place. |
Validation Therapy
This is also a form of counseling. Here, the counselor focuses more on your loved one's feelings than on what they say. They study things like their tone of voice and body language to try to understand what they are really feeling.
For example, if they seem angry, say, "I can see you're angry." It can be a great comfort to them to know that someone else understands how they're feeling.
Reality Orientation
In this therapy, the therapist and the patient together repeat information such as the day, time, and location. This helps them stay aware of the present and reduce confusion. Hanging large clocks and calendars in the home also helps with this.
But this is not something that works for everyone. For someone who strongly believes that they are in another time or place, this treatment can be upsetting and upsetting. Therefore, you should discuss this with your doctor before making a decision.
Treating Depression
Depression is common among people with dementia, especially in the early and middle stages of the disease. However, these symptoms are not always the same and sometimes come and go.
If you experience these symptoms, talk to your doctor first, as these symptoms can also be a side effect of some medications.
Your doctor may prescribe medication to treat your depression and may refer you for counseling. In addition, here are some other things that can help you manage your depression:
- Support groups: Getting together and talking with people who have similar experiences.
- A consistent routine: Maintaining a predictable routine that works at the same time every day.
- Celebrating small successes: Appreciating even the small good things they do.
- Being part of the family: Involving them in family activities.
- Things that bring them joy: Engaging them in activities that they enjoy and that bring them joy.
- Your love and care: Remind them often that they are loved and cared for.
Take-Home Message
- Dementia is not something that can be managed with medication alone. There are many other treatments available.
- Things like occupational therapy and physical therapy can significantly improve a patient's quality of life and safety.
- If your loved one is showing signs of depression, be sure to talk to your doctor about it.
- Before starting any treatment, ask your doctor if it is right for you.
- Above all, your love, kindness, and patience are the best treatment they can receive.
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