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Tips for Caring for Someone with Cognitive Impairment

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  1. Get a medical assessment and diagnosis. If there are noticeable cognitive issues, it is important for your loved one to get a comprehensive medical exam. There is a chance that the cause of the cognitive impairment is treatable. There are medical, emotional and social benefits to getting a diagnosis. It also provides the opportunity to plan for the future.
  2. Educate yourself on the disease process. A diagnosis of cognitive impairment can be overwhelming and different types of dementia can result in different symptoms. Most forms of cognitive impairment are progressive in nature and get worse with time. Be sure to learn about your loved one’s diagnosis so you can understand what to expect.
  3. Plan ahead as much as possible. Having conversations early in the diagnosis is important to ensure the individual can contribute his or her wishes in the decision-making process. Planning should involve researching options for care and support. Setting up health, financial and legal documents is also important.

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What a health-care consultant learned as a caregiver for her mother

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If you’re one of the many thousands of Nova Scotians caring for a loved one who is ill, Mary Jane Hampton knows how you’re feeling.

During her mother’s illness, she was her family’s caregiver, and the experience taught her a lot about the role that she hadn’t previously considered.

“It became personal,” she told CBC’s Information Morning. “In the last year and half of helping to care for my terminally ill mother, I couldn’t help but notice that I was seeing the same people in waiting rooms week after week.

“Not patients — the people with the patients. The ones who had brought them to the appointment, attended the visit with the doctor and presumably had something to do with the care plan once they got the person home again.

“If I didn’t recognize their faces, I recognized the look on their faces. For the most part, they were very, very tired.”

Read the rest of the article.

 

 

This is part of a series from CBC’s Information Morning where Halifax health-care consultant Mary Jane Hampton discusses her “health hacks” — ways to make your experience with the health-care system better.

If I get dementia… (16 wishes)

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If I get dementia…

If I get dementia, I want my friends and family to embrance my reality. If I think my spouse is still alive, or if I think we’re visiting my parents for dinner, let me believe those things. I’ll be much happier for it.

If I get dementia, I don’t want to be treated like a child. Talk to me like the adult that I am.

If I get dementia, I still want to enjoy the things that I’ve always enjoyed. Help me find a way to exercise, read and visit with friends.

If I get dementia, ask me to tell you a story from my past.

If I get dementia and I become agitated, take the time to figure out what is bothering me.

If I get dementia, treat me the way that you would want me to be treated.

If I get dementia, make sure that there are plenty of snacks for me in the house. Even now, if I don’t eat, I will get angry, and if I have dementia I may have trouble explaining what I need.

If I get dementia, don’t talk about me as if I’m not in the room.

If I get dementia, don’t feel guilyt if you cannot care for me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s not your fault, and you’ve done your best. Find someone who can help you, or choose a great new place for me to live.

If I get dementia, and I live in a dementia care community, please visit me often.

If I get dementia, don’t act frustrated if I mix up names, events, or places. Take a deep breath. It’s not my fault.

If I get dementia, make sure I always have my favorite music playing within earshot.

If I get dementia and I like to pick up items and carry them around, help me return those items to their original places.

If I get dementia, don’t exclude me from parties and family gatherings.
If I get dementia, know that I stil llike receiving hugs or handshakes.
If I get dementia, remember that I am still the person that you know and love.

Click here to visit the website source of this post.

The Champions

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In HR, we talk about ‘Champions’ a lot.  We talk about needing Champions for Recognition, for Diversity,  for Change…people who are leaders, big picture thinkers, are dedicated to the cause,  are not afraid to use their voice and will perform to high standards. Someone with ideas, passion and committment.  There are champions in sport, health, environment, community – I am sure you can name a few.

I was referred to my Champion of Pain Management (for lack of another term) almost 10 years ago, and we’ve been together ever since.  He is relentless on finding a solution, a fix, a cause…or being a source of  hope.  Although he is a trusted leader, he doesn’t hesitate to refer to others when puzzled. He is a respected mentor, coach and teacher.  I have heard the many stories.

At first,  I felt I wasn’t doing my part in my relationship with my Champion. Perhaps I was naive, scared, intimidated, but, because of my natural curiosity, I started to read how to make the connection better. Plus,  I wanted to find some way to demonstrate my appreciation for his time and work. (Words just don’t cut it).

So, I put myself in the driver seat and took my role more seriously:

  • openness/honesty:  yep, that took time to get there, but it’s hard to solve a problem with only 1/2 the info (besides –  he could always figure me out)
  • follow the plan, not some version of it:  making up your own rules or using another approach never did go so well 🙁
  • communicate: remembering that little notebook of things that were said and things to share, info on meds, etc.
  • be prepared: what is new since last time? how is it going? any changes? I often need to think through my appointment ahead of time.
  • bring someone with you: I still struggle with this one personally (that’s a whole other blog), but it can assist with communication and information capture – plus emotional support.

**ask questions, ask questions, ask questions – about everything – I learned that Doctors need and want you to be involved in your care and its through your story they are best equipped to do their jobs.

A recent visit sparked this blog as I found myself once again feeling grateful to have him in my corner.  But I can’t talk about this Champion without also sharing my gratitude to the many other leaders, researchers and health care practitioners, all Champions too, that have provided guidance and support along my journey.

As fortunate as I may be, I recognize that so very many continue  to struggle to find their own Champion/leaders/partners/voices.  Everyday the paper, tv news or social media is filled with heartbreaking stories of cries and pleas for help and resources; people looking for many levels and different kinds of care. I remain ever hopeful for some creative solutions by all those impacted.

Best,

Angela

 

Negative Coping Strategies are still Coping Strategies

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Dad moves into a seniors complex on Friday.  It is a stressful process for anyone.  I am struggling to reconcile years of accumulation with the square footage available in a one-bedroom apartment, but the equation just won’t work out. I know that the “extent to which I resist will be the extent to which I suffer” (read that somewhere), so I am trying to be more accepting and less fussy.

I am self-medicating with chocolate.  Sure, it would be great if I meditated more or exercised more, but I won’t. Rather than adding to the emotion of the situation by feeling guilty about what I “should” do, I am going with it. I am conscious of what I am doing and why. I am not in a downward spiral. This is temporary and I know what I will do to get back on track next week.  Just need to get through the next few days and I know I will be fine. I am making good use of the desensitizing effects of sugar to get through a trying time and I am okay with it.

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