The later stages of are often difficult for your senior and for you. anything that causes her to feel more discomfort and stress can make other necessary treatments difficult, if not impossible. She might even lash out at you and other family members. These ideas can help.
Reduce Extra Activity, Noise, and Stimuli
It might not seem like a lot to you and to other family members, but the regular hustle and bustle of daily life can be distracting for a senior with dementia. In the later stages, it can even cause her discomfort and more than a little bit of stress. In addition to keeping some of the noise down, check that lights aren’t too bright and that there aren’t any strong or overpowering smells.
Keep Comfort at the Forefront
One of the best answers to reducing stress for your senior as she nears the end of her life is to simply focus on comfort. Gather a few pillows and cushions of various sizes and shapes as well as some blankets of varying weights. These can help your senior to regulate her temperature and prop herself into various positions. Remember to offer her something to drink often and to schedule bathroom trips if she’s still mobile. All of these little details add up.
Clean Her Glasses for Her
Another small detail that you might not think about could be any glasses that your senior wears. With dementia, hallucinations are common and if she can’t see clearly, she might not understand exactly what is happening. It’s amazing how such a small detail as a smudged or dirty lens can create confusion, stress, and big problems. Cleaning them daily or at least every other day can help with this a great deal.
Don’t Forget to Check Her Hearing Aid
Likewise, hearing aids might not be giving your senior the information you think that they are. These tiny devices do need to be maintained and your senior might not be able to tell you when hers aren’t working as well as they normally do. Double check the settings a couple of times a week and schedule a replacement time for batteries. If you notice that she seems a little more confused than usual, check the hearing aid first, if she wears one.
End-of-life care providers can help you to find other ways to ensure your senior is as comfortable as possible. They can help you to account for any special considerations that her dementia creates for her as well.
If you or a loved-one are considering end-of-life care in Marietta, GA, please call the caring staff at Arcturus Hospice and Palliative Care today. Call 678-383-9973 today to speak to our care team.
Kate Gorinshteyn is the director of marketing at Arcturus Health Care. Arcturus is a fast-growing Hospice striving to provide the highest level of quality care to patients faced with life-limiting illnesses. Our goal is to make each patient as pain-free as possible and give physiological, emotional and spiritual support to both the patient and family. We understand that the decision change from curative to comfort care is difficult, and our team is trained to help you every step of the way!
We are proud to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
