Peace of Mind in Caregiving Series: New Year, New Ways of Dementia Caregiving
2022’s Effective Strategies for Dementia Caregiving
By Rachael Wonderlin, Dementia By Day, Consultant to Source of Life Technologies
It’s a new year, and with a new year comes an opportunity for a fresh start.
Are you exhausted in your caregiving role? Are you carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Nearly all care partners feel this way—but they don’t have to.
Let’s talk about a few strategies to kick your new year off right.
ONE: Locate hands-on help.
It sounds simplistic when I write it this way, but it’s true: you deserve (and need) time and space away from caregiving. If you’re thinking, “I have to be by his side 24/7, how on earth am I going to get space for myself?” consider this: what are the implications of not getting that space?
An exhausted, burnt-out care partner cannot possibly be the best caregiving version of themselves. By taking time for yourself, you give your loved one a better version of you when you return to them. Caring for a person living with dementia is never a one-person job. Can a home care agency come into your house and assist? Have you considered adult day programs? Are you thinking about transitioning a loved one to a dementia care community? It’s a new year, and it’s beyond time to try one or more of these options.
TWO: Next, create time and space for yourself.
In 2022, there are so many options for connecting with others without even leaving the house. As an example, I host a monthly, free, online caregiver support group. Care partners sit down with their computers or smartphones and tune in to chat with me and with each other.
There are also so many opportunities to take courses and learn online. Note: these courses don’t need to be about dementia! I’ve always enjoyed MasterClass since it came out a few years ago: the website hosts celebrity courses that are super affordable and fun.
Finally, get outside. I know that it’s winter, and, depending where you live, you might be feeling like it’s too cold to go anywhere. As long as the roads are safe from ice, though, sometimes you just need to bundle up and go for a walk. Getting outside—in the very least, moving your body at the gym!—is so powerful for your mind and your emotional energy.
THREE: Finally, practice taking a step back from arguing with your loved one.
I know, I know: it’s tempting to argue with someone living with dementia, particularly if that person is your parent or spouse. We’ve all done it, but now is the time to take a step back and change course.
What would it feel like, instead of arguing or pushing back on what they’re saying, to simply accept their version of the truth? I call this concept, Embracing Their Reality™. Embracing someone’s reality means that you stop worrying about your own version of reality. It means that you stop getting hung up on what constitutes “lying,” and think instead about how you can live in their truth, wherever that is. For more on this concept, check out this page.
It’s a new year, and it’s time to mix it up and step out of your dementia care comfort zone. I know you’ll be glad you did.
From senior care fall strategies to online engagement and mobile app opportunities, healthcare shouldn’t be reactive - it should be proactive.
Doors have been opened to on-demand healthcare and it turns out the overwhelming majority of patients, physicians, families and therapists want to continue down that path. The decision to modernize your senior care strategies is a big one and doesn’t happen overnight.
Talk to the Source of Life Technologies team for the guidance and direction you need to make the change in your organization or home.
