Looking after someone living with Dementia

Below are the top tips shared by Carers on how to deal with difficult behaviour of someone with Dementia:

  • Look at your loved one's body language and image what they might be feeling or trying to express
  • Ask yourself what happened before the difficult behaviour started?  Did something trigger the behaviour?
  • Are their needs being met?  Is your loved one hungry, thirsty or in pain?
  • Does changing the environment, such as playing their favourite music help to calm and give comfort to your loved one?
  • How did you react to the problem behaviour?  Did your reaction help to soothe your loved one or did it make the behaviour worse?
  • Is it necessary to argue or is it better to accept your loved one's experiences and try and divert the conversation 

 

Supporting you in your caring role

Carers FIRST have a wide range of advice and guidance specifically for those caring for someone living with dementia. You can visit their website for more information to help you in your caring role. Alternatively, you can view their dementia carers checklist.