Why Do Persons with Dementia and Alzheimers STOP Eating or Drinking? What to DO? 🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖
#alzheimer #alzheimerawareness #elderlycare #nutritionandlifestyle #nutritionist #healthyaging #brainhealth #seniorcare #familycaregivers #thelonggoodbye
.................................
Dementia and its most common subset, Alzheimer’s disease are neurological brain disorders that cause impairment with memory, thinking skills, and behaviour.
Daunting? Yes!
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖As these diseases progress, they often affect taste, smell and mood, as well making mealtimes and hydration a "battle of wills"😖
Dangers: Dehydration, constipation, infection, frailty, poorer immune system, falls, fractures, death.
Reasons:
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖Pain
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖Depression and apathy - no desire
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖arthritis in the jaw- eating is just uncomfortable
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖Infection especially lungs and bladder - let's not forget anosmia from COVID-19
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖Some medication alter taste
🤷🏽♀️🍽️🥤😖Memory Impairment-- they simply forget to eat
What can you do?
🍽️🥤😊 Vary the colours and textures of food and the utensils; use "watery fruit" such as watermelob
🍽️Lightweight cups and mugs are easier to hold
🍽️🥤Be alert to signs of dehydration and when you may need the doctor
🍽️🥤 Seek the advice of the nutritionist
🍽️🥤When nothing works- walk away , cool heads and come back in a few minutes
🍽️🥤Eating is a SOCIAL event-, so eat WITH them- selfcare, comraderie, familiarity.
Let us embrace these "new normals" in an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding, empathy and love
One day/hour at a time
From my heart to yours💗
Dr. Lana
.........................................................
Overwhelmed? Let's connect: 📧lana@lanaannemd.com
For more insights and connect for a FREE face-to-Face 15 minute Zoom call, and a place where we can connect as Family Caregivers and fellow Physicians on my website: lanaslittlethings.com.
LLT #208 - Music and Dementia - What's the Connection? 🎶🎵👴🏽👵🏽🎷🎹🎺🎼💝
#dementia #dementiacare #alzheimer #alzheimersdisease #alzheimerawareness #elderlycare #healthyaging #brainhealth #seniorcare #familycaregivers #thelonggoodbye
Dementia is an umbrella term for several neurological brain disorders that cause impairment with memory, thinking skills, and behaviour which significantly impair everyday life. This includes Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular, Frontotemporal, Lewy Body and many others.
The reality, which can be very distressing, is its progression, its unpredictability and personally, a sense of loss. It is really "the long goodbye".
Whether early stages or full-blown Alzheimer's disease where verbal communication is gone and it may seem as if your loved one is just "existing".
What role does music play in our lives? Well, think about it; your life: 🎶🎵👴🏽👵🏽🎷🎹🎺🎼💝 🎶🎵👴🏽👵🏽🎷🎹🎺🎼💝
- Is there a "soundtrack" ? A song you go to, that stirs your heart?
- Is there a song that brings back memories?
- Is there a song that stirs your emotions and calms you when you feel anxious?
The same applies to persons with dementia, even when there is no obvious means of communication.
How can music help? Research has shown that music can help with
- Cognition
- Memory and
- Attention and Concentration
It brings back memories long forgotten, stirs emotions, calms agitation and relieves depression and anxiety, improves social connection in early stages; even reduce blood pressure.
Use music anytime the favourite music of your loved one; hold their hand, dance if possible, and have their friends over if feasible.
MUSIC is the soundtrack to our lives; play a tune, sing, dance!
Life is short!
One day/hour at a time
From my heart to yours💗
Dr. Lana
LLT #206: Can You Still PRAY In The Face of Dementia? 🙏🏽👴🏽👵🏽🗝️
#prayer #prayerworks #dementiasupport #alzheimer #alzheimerawareness #elderlycare #healthyaging #brainhealth #seniorcare #familycaregivers
Tonight we explore PRAYER..... In the face of Dementia or Alzheimer's.
Prayer is loosely defined as communication with a Superior Being, Source, Power for comfort, guidance, and protection.
No matter the denomination, or no denomination; even if one describes themselves as "spiritual", mankind has recognised the need for "help from above".
The difficulty comes when life changes forever as it does if there is a new diagnosis of Dementia or Alzheimer's.
The questions: Who am I now? Will I change? How can I live any sort of normal life? How do we take care of someone who does not even recognise family members any longer?
Prayer requires concentration: that is lost in dementia, so many ask: does it even make sense to continue praying to someone who isn't there?
The answers may surprise, and hopefully encourage you.
Yes it still makes sense- studies and experiences of caregivers conclude that , especially if the affected person was very spiritually active, they have favourite songs, passages of scripture or mantras which calm and soothe them
THEY ARE STILL THEM . They may not process everything, so some ways to keep continuity and reassure them (and yourself):
Pray on mornings; before meals, and at bedtime; keep it short: "Thank you" may be all you can do sometimes.
Play their songs etc, during the day and especially at night- it works!
Finally- pray for yourself; for courage to face the diagnosis, remember that they are still "in there"; pray for the heart to face the loss that things are not the same.
The "new normal" can be terrifying- it's ok to ask for "help from Above"!
From my heart to yours💗
Dr. Lana
Overwhelmed? Let's connect: 📧lana@lanaannemd.com, for more insights and connect for a FREE face-to-Face 15 minute Zoom call.
