As dementia progresses, seniors may have more difficulty with daily tasks like taking care of personal hygiene. Cognitive decline means that seniors may not remember their daily routines or what to do in terms of basic hygiene. They might forget to take showers, forget to brush their teeth, and avoid handling other hygiene needs. Alzheimer’s care providers can help seniors with dementia and family members figure out how to cope with this new normal.
Don’t Create a Fight
Trying to reason with a senior who has dementia or using logic to convince them to do something is not ever going to work well for families. This is often mistaken for seniors being stubborn or difficult, but that’s not what is happening. Their brains don’t function the same as they did in the past, so it’s important for families to understand this fact and avoid making hygiene tasks a fight.
Ask Some Questions
Approaching the issue with curiosity is so important because it allows family caregivers to dig deeper and find solutions that work for their aging adults. Alzheimer’s care providers can also help families see what might be behind some of the ways that seniors with dementia are responding. Making one or two small changes may be all it takes.
Get Creative
Gathering information helps families to get more creative about how to help seniors with dementia manage hygiene tasks. Changing the temperature in the bathroom or switching to shampoos and soaps with a milder scent can have a much more positive impact than family caregivers might expect. Making the bathing and grooming process easier and less overwhelming can be a big part of making it more attractive for seniors with dementia. Elder care providers with experience helping seniors with dementia may have suggestions to try first.
Set a Schedule
Seniors with dementia respond well to structured routines. When they have a schedule for daily activities, like hygiene tasks, they’re more likely to follow the schedule. Bathing every day may not work well for seniors with dementia. The key might be finding a routine that keeps them clean and feeling great without overwhelming them.
Let It Go
Sometimes, seniors with dementia might just not be up for what’s on the hygiene schedule and nothing works to convince them otherwise. Ultimately, there might be times when it’s just better to let it go for the time being. Unless there is a specific reason for them to bathe right then or to deal with another hygiene task immediately, it might be for the best to try again a few hours later or even the next day. It’s much more important for families to avoid agitation and upset whenever they can.
Caring for seniors with dementia is a big job. Simple tasks like brushing teeth or taking a shower are just different as dementia progresses. Alzheimer’s care providers understand how complicated these tasks can get. They can be there to make it easier for seniors with dementia, allowing them to remain as comfortable as possible.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s care in Newton, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare+ today. Call (617) 237-0867.
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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