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Dementia Communication Tips

Talking with someone who has dementia can be challenging. Applying some simple yet effective dementia communication techniques make it easier to connect with them and enjoy meaningful time together. Keep these helpful tips in mind when you’re communicating with someone who has dementia: Take a moment for yourself It can be challenging to see someone living with dementia. You may feel a wide variety of emotions which can influence your own behaviour. Take a minute to ground yourself before engaging in conversation. Stay positive, warm, and calm Someone with dementia can pick up on emotions, especially if they don’t match the tone you are trying to use. Remember that this is someone you care about. You want to show that you care about them and their time together. Remove distractions Like any person, someone with dementia may struggle with communication when there are distractions around. Televisions, radios, and kids running around can easily catch our attention. What is vaguely distracting for us, though, can be torturous for people with dementia. Identify yourself When someone has dementia, they may not immediately remember who you are. Make sure to gently tell them your name and how you’re related. This can help bring back memories and make them feel safe. Speak slowly Take time to slow down when you speak. It can give them time to absorb what you are saying and make connections. Use shorter sentences and smaller words Run-on sentences and complicated words can be confusing. Use one sentence at a time, pausing

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Frontotemporal Dementia – Signs & Symptoms

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the fifth most common cause of dementia. It affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It is sometimes called frontal lobe dementia and used to be known as Pick’s disease. The affected areas of the brain control personality, emotions, behaviour, executive functioning, and speech. FTD tends to start at younger ages. At first, frontotemporal disorders leave other brain regions untouched, including those that control short-term memory. Diagnosing frontotemporal dementia There isn’t a single test that explicitly diagnoses FTD. Doctors must try to identify specific characteristics while ruling out other possible causes, like liver or kidney disease.  Diagnosing in the early stages can be challenging because the symptoms often overlap with those of other conditions. Signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia The most common signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia are extreme changes in behaviour and personality. People typically have one type of symptom in the early stages of FTD. As the disease progresses, more symptoms will appear as more parts of the brain are affected. Common behavioural and personality symptoms include changes in personality and mood, avoiding socialising or being unwilling to talk, repetitive or obsessive behaviour, lack of inhibition or lack of social tact, a decline in personal hygiene, lack of judgment, apathy, lack of awareness, loss of empathy, changes in eating habits, and putting things in the mouth or trying to eat inedible objects People with FTD can usually keep track of day-to-day events and understand what’s happening around them; they typically keep

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Do’s and Don’ts for Visiting Someone with Dementia

Older adults with Alzheimer’s or dementia still enjoy having visitors. But it takes skill for both sides to have a positive experience when visiting someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. So, set visitors up for success by sharing some do’s and don’ts beforehand. Having a great visit and understanding more about dementia might even encourage family and friends to visit more often. DO Keep your tone and body language friendly and upbeat. Don’t speak too loudly. Make eye contact and stay at their eye level. Introduce yourself even if you’re sure they must know you. “Hi, Grandma, I’m John, your grandson.” Speak slowly and in short sentences with only one idea per sentence. For example: “Hi Mary. I’m Jane, your friend.” Or “What a beautiful day. The sunshine is nice, isn’t it?”  Give them extra time to speak or answer questions; don’t rush the conversation. Use open-ended questions because there are no right or wrong answers. Be comfortable with sitting together in silence. They may enjoy that just as much as talking. Follow their lead; don’t force conversation topics or activities. Validate their feelings. Allow them to express sadness, fear, or anger. Enter their reality. Go with the flow of the conversation, even if they talk about things that aren’t true. Share and discuss memories of the past. They’re more likely to remember things from long ago. Come prepared with an activity, like something to read aloud or a photo album to look at. Give hugs, gentle touches, or massage arms or shoulders if the person gives permission and

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Breathing Exercises to Increase Oxygen Levels and Fight Stress

Breathing is something we do without thinking, so it is easy to take it for granted. But as people age, they are more likely to develop respiratory complications and experience breathing difficulties. Along with this inability to breathe freely and sustain healthy blood oxygen levels comes other ailments, including elevated anxiety and emotional stress, reduced energy levels, and compromised immune function. Benefits of Breathing Exercises Pulmonary rehabilitation is an important intervention for individuals with lung disease or other conditions that affect lung function. Healthy individuals can also experience the calming and rejuvenating effects of controlled breathing. In fact, breathing exercises can help improve overall respiratory health and lung capacity. Diaphragmatic Breathing Believe it or not, there is a right way to breathe, but most people don’t practice it. Patients with limited lung capacity often fall into the habit of taking short, shallow breaths into their chests. If a person’s chest rises as they breathe, it likely indicates improper breathing. A proper breath will draw air into the lungs, pushing the diaphragm down and visibly expanding the belly. This is why diaphragmatic breathing is also called ‘belly breathing’.  Follow these steps to engage in deep, diaphragmatic breathing: Sit up straight, with one hand on the stomach and the other onbthe chest. Inhale slowly and deeply through the nostrils, feeling the stomach expand with each full, diaphragmatic breath. Exhale slowly out of the mouth. Repeat six or more times each minute for up to 15 minutes. 4-7-8 Breathing The popular 4-7-8 breathing method has

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Relaxation Tips for Seniors

Most people’s retirement years are the perfect opportunity to relax, spend quality time with loved ones, and dive into meaningful hobbies. However, ageing can also be a stressful experience. We face several challenges as we age, including declining physical health, a loss of independence, financial strain, and changes in our family structure. Chronic stress is a unfortunately common problem for older adults, especially those going through significant life transitions. Knowing how to relax and unwind is one of the keys to ageing happily and healthily. Low-impact Exercise Exercise is one of the best activities for stress management for people of all ages. Although physical activity may seem the opposite of relaxation, exercise has long-term mental health benefits. Working out allows you to channel anxious energy in a healthy way. It also causes your brain to release stress-relieving hormones, making life’s challenges more manageable. Socialising Even the most introverted among us need quality time with friends and family. Socialising is an excellent way to relax and relieve stress. Sometimes, talking through stressful or frustrating situations can make you feel better. In other cases, simply connecting with people is helpful regardless of whether or not you actually speak about your stress. Time in Nature Spending time in nature is one of the best, but most underutilised relaxation tips. Being in nature can help you clear your mind and feel more grounded. It can even reduce the physical markers of stress, such as blood pressure and heart rate. Gardening is one great way for seniors

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The Difference between Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease

Dementia is a condition that affects a person’s ability to think. It can impact their memory, reasoning, mood, and other features. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, but there are several other types and causes. The most frequent question we receive at Care in Midstream is: What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease? Dementia describes a set of symptoms that broadly affect a person’s cognitive functioning. Depending on the type and cause, dementia can affect the following: memory, thinking and focus, problem-solving abilities, language use, and visual perception. Alzheimer’s disease is a specific type of dementia. It involves progressive damage to brain cells, resulting in memory loss and a decline in other aspects of thinking. Dementia Dementia can affect a wide range of mental functions, and many different conditions have links with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and accounts for around 70% of cases. However, there are other types and causes, including: Lewy body dementia, which is a result of unusual protein deposits in the brain Vascular dementia, which results from strokes and other conditions that block blood flow to the brain Frontotemporal disorders, which are due to damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Huntington’s disease Chronic traumatic encephalopathy due to repeated traumatic brain injuryIt is possible to have multiple types of dementia. The term for this is mixed dementia. Dementia symptoms range in severity and vary depending on the area of the brain that the condition affects.

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