Discover how to calm a person with senile dementia

Calming a person with dementia can be a challenging journey. This is a challenge that often falls on the shoulders of family members and informal caregivers, as options for assistance are limited or inaccessible.

Often, caregivers undertake this task for financial reasons or because they feel they better understand their loved one’s needs. However, this journey is exhausting and complicated, making it even more difficult to manage the symptoms of this disease.

In this article, We will offer practical advice to help deal with patient agitation and confusion, with the aim of maintaining peace of mind for both you and the diagnosed person.

How to calm a person with senile dementia?

There are various ways to help and calm a person with senile dementia, without resorting exclusively to medications. Therefore, we provide you with 10 practical tips to manage patient agitation.

1. Maintain a routine so that he/she does not feel disoriented

People with dementia often feel disoriented and confused due to changes in their memory and cognition. Establishing and maintaining a routine provides them with a sense of security and predictability in their daily lives. This, in turn, reduces the anxiety and stress they experience. Here are some suggestions for a flattering routine:

Keep your environment clean and organized to reduce confusion. Be sure to include rest times in your routine to avoid fatigue and cognitive overload. Label objects or use visual cues to indicate specific areas, such as the bathroom or kitchen. Establish fixed times for daily activities, such as getting up, eating, taking medications, and going to bed.

Each person is unique and it is crucial to be flexible and adapt to their changing needs. If the patient feels uncomfortable or agitated, the routine should be adjusted.

2. Make an emotional connection

It is not always possible for a loved one to recognize family members consistently, due to significant loss of memory and cognitive skills.

They are likely to go into crisis or psychomotor agitation because they do not recognize who is next to them. and ask someone familiar to come over. If this happens, how to calm the person with senile dementia? Try the following strategies:

Say your name and your relationship with him/her, for example: “Hello, I’m Pedro, your grandson.” Show photos, past events or familiar places to demonstrate affinity. Talk about shared moments and experiences in the past, so that the patient feel more connected to you. You can say something like, “Do you remember when we went to the beach together and played catch with our dog Astro?”

Instead of focusing on recognition, the key is to make an emotional connection and pay attention to the person’s needs. You may need time to process the information and assimilate who you are. So avoid frustration and impatience, as this makes the situation worse.

Dementia is a progressive disease and ultimately sometimes memory cannot be fully recovered. Therefore, the primary goal should be the emotional and physical well-being of your loved one, rather than their ability to recognize you.

3. Listen actively and empathetically

To calm a person with senile dementia, During a crisis it is essential to pay attention not only to what you say, but also how you feel. This helps you understand the source of their distress or confusion, which in turn will allow you to respond more effectively.

Therefore, when they interact, encouraging active and empathetic listening is essential. Check out these strategies:

Avoid interrupting their sentences or correcting them. Use a tone of voice that conveys calm. Maintain a calm attitude and do not show impatience or frustration. Listen to the words and emotions behind what they say. Respond empathically to their feelings, even if the topic changes.Ask open-ended questions, for example: “Tell me more about that.” “What makes you think or feel that?” Take the opportunity to give positive reinforcement and validate their thoughts and feelings. You can say things like, “I understand what you’re saying,” or “that sounds important to you.” Use repetition of a topic strategically to confirm that you understand it. For example: “I understand that you are worried about eating at night.” This shows that you pay attention.

Active and empathetic listening is essential to reduce anxiety and distress associated with the behavioral and psychological symptoms of the disease. This not only helps the person feel understood and supported, but also contributes to their emotional well-being, reducing the intensity of the crisis.

4. Use non-verbal language and value physical contact

In the advanced stages of dementia, communication is complex and poor. However, it enriches the verbal message through the use of non-verbal language and the use of images.

This type of communication becomes especially relevant when words are not enough to express our support and company, in particular, in those moments of psychomotor agitation or mental confusion.

Likewise, it is relevant to consider the possibility of using physical contact as a way of transmitting tranquility and closeness. But this requires sensitivity and respect for the limits that the person establishes: if he or she avoids it, it is necessary to respect his or her decision and avoid it. Learn these ways to use nonverbal language and physical contact in such scenarios:

Maintain eye contact to show that you are present and attentive to their needs. Use gentle touches and affectionate gestures when appropriate and welcomed by the patient. Offer physical contact, in appropriate situations, such as a helping hand or a hug, to convey a message. feeling of security and closeness.Use visual tools, such as images or simple diagrams, as they help the person remember or better understand certain concepts or topics.Accompany your words with gestures and visual signals to reinforce the meaning of your message. For example, if you want to invite him to sit, point to a chair and say, “Sit here.”

These actions benefit an emotional connection and provide comfort to the person with dementia, even when verbal communication is limited or confusing.

When we want to calm a person with senile dementia, respect for their preferences is essential to ensure that physical contact is a positive and comforting experience.

5. Use short and simple phrases to communicate

It is essential to use short and simple phrases; After all, it must be taken into account that the level of cognitive impairment may make communication difficult. That is why it is a priority to learn to manage the lack of understanding and expression so as not to worsen them and reduce the risk of behavioral crises.

As dementia progresses, we must adapt our language with clearer and more concise phrases. Some examples of effective communication are the following:

Avoid using complex names or formal titles. Instead of saying “Doctor García”, use “the doctor” or “García”. Say affirmative, short and positive phrases. For example, instead of asking, “Don’t you want to take your medicine?” say, “It’s time to take your medicine, okay?” Offer limited options for him or her to choose from. For example, instead of asking, “What would you like to eat?” you can say, “Would you prefer soup or a sandwich for dinner?” Use nouns and pronouns consistently when talking about people or objects. If you’re talking about a grandson named Juan, don’t refer to him as “that guy” or change his name throughout the conversation.

These approaches of communication facilitate interaction and minimize confusion in people with dementia. Through them, the quality of dialogue is improved, the possibility of behavioral crises is reduced, and complications are reduced when we do not know how to calm a person with senile dementia.

6. Avoid reprimanding

When we are faced with physical or verbal attacks from a person with dementia, we are tempted to reprimand them, attributing responsibility to their actions. However, keep in mind that you do not have the same ability to control your emotions and behaviors; Your ability to reason and understand may be affected due to your condition.

Attacks do not reflect the quality of the relationship with the person; rather, they are usually the result of a confusional syndrome or the frustration they experience.

Therefore, it is important Avoid actions such as blaming or scolding, as these responses are usually not effective and, in some cases, they have a negative impact on the emotional state. Here are some guidelines to address these situations more effectively:

Do not take attacks personally. Offer emotional and physical support to the person in appropriate situations. Remain calm and do not react with anger or frustration. These emotions aggravate the situation. Look for the underlying cause. It may be related to pain, fear, discomfort or stress. Addressing it is convenient to prevent future attacks.

7. Assess the causes of the alteration

It is essential to examine the possible causes of alterations in a person with dementia. Crises can then be reduced and addressed more effectively.

Sometimes, These alterations are related to specific stimuli that we can identify and eliminate, such as annoying noises, drafts or intense lights. In such situations, it is wise to act with common sense to eliminate or minimize these stimuli. If we cannot suppress them, moving the person to a calmer environment is an appropriate solution.

In other cases, the causes of the alterations are more complex and not so obvious. Consider that Episodes of behavioral and psychological crises are related to cognitive impairment or mental disorders.

Based on these ideas, a study published in Journal of Affective Disorders defined some risk factors that may be related to alterations in people with dementia. We leave you with the most important ones:

AnxietyDepressionSchizophreniaBipolar disorderSleep disordersDepression in old agePost-traumatic stress disorder

This study also highlighted that there is an association between late-life depression and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. When we cannot identify the catalyst, it is valuable to initiate communication with the person to explore the reason for their discomfort.

We should always consider consulting a specialized health professional if problems persist or are difficult to control.

8. Don’t infantilize him

Infantilizing older people with senile dementia is a common practice, but it can be counterproductive when they face alterations…