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Top tips from experts for keeping people with dementia calm
| Published: 11th September 2020 11:04 |
EXPERTS at a leading Welsh care provider are revealing (September 2020) helpful techniques they use to keep service users with dementia calm as part of World Alzheimer’s Month.
Carers from Abacare say people with dementia can often panic and become agitated and it’s important to use calming techniques for those with the condition and the company has rolled these out as part of its training.
Caroline Jones, Regional Manager at Abacare, which provides care across Wales, said: “We have cared for people with dementia for many years and through this we have developed a variety of different techniques which can be used when caring for someone with the condition.
“People with dementia can often become panicked, agitated and even angry when they realise they can’t remember something or someone, especially if under pressure in-front of a crowd or friends and family, so it’s extremely important when this issue arises, to make sure you try to calm them and help them relax. There are also lots of methods that can be practised on a regular basis to help a person feel calmer in their everyday life.
“We have found the techniques to be extremely helpful and as a company we now instil these techniques within our carer’s training programmes to make sure our service users with dementia are properly cared for.
“We thought we would share some of our techniques as part of World Alzheimer’s Month to help anyone out there who may also be caring for someone with dementia:
Breathing exercises – these can really help someone with dementia if they start to feel anxious or stressed in a certain situation. Sit them down and have them breathe through their nose and expand their stomach and abdomen so they take lots of oxygen deep into their lungs. Do this for ten minutes. During this time you should do your best to have the stressful situation moved along or the conversation subject changed and the person with dementia will soon start to feel much more at ease.
Practicing mindfulness – we’re big believers that practicing mindfulness can ease a person with dementia’s general day-to-day stress. One of the most effective and popular activities that our service users enjoy is colouring. Colouring is an activity that a person can become engrossed in and they can become so ‘in the zone’ that they forget about any other worries or problems just for a short time.
The repetitive nature of colouring can help ease agitation or aggression, which are common symptoms of dementia. Some experts have likened colouring to meditation as it allows you to ‘switch off’, which can be extremely helpful for people with dementia. It is also great for hand-eye coordination, dexterity and provides an outlet for self-expression.
Sensory stimulation – this is great for a person with dementia as it doesn’t require lots of thinking to be done and it can help calm and relax the person and make them feel less agitated. We have found twiddle mitts to be one of the most popular methods of sensory stimulation among our service users.
They are usually knitted or crocheted cuffs or hand warmers, which have different textures and materials attached, such as beads, ribbons and buttons, that people with dementia can hold and ‘twiddle’ to help any restlessness and agitation that they might experience. Alternatively, having different textures such as cushions, throws or blankets within reach can really help too.
Looking after or having access to an animal – having a pet or having access to one is of great benefit to someone with dementia. They can help boost a person’s mood and help them feel much more relaxed. Simply having and caring for a pet helps to stimulate a person’s mind. It can help them focus on something other than memory loss and the negativity surrounding dementia. In some cases pets can even help people with memory loss interact and access memories from years ago.
Cats make fantastic pets too as they are low-maintenance. Stroking a cat can have a calming and soothing effect, decreasing stress and anxiety levels.
“Our carers out in the field often practice these techniques with our service users to see which ones work best for them. All our carers are trained to assess situations and a person’s behaviours to determine whether they might be becoming stressed, agitated or angry and can put some of these techniques into practice to help.”
World Alzheimer’s Month is the international campaign every September to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia.
The campaign was launched in 2012. September 2020 will mark the ninth World Alzheimer's Month.
Two out of three people, globally, believe there is little or no understanding of dementia in their countries.
Caroline added: “Anyone who would like to educate themselves on dementia and look after people with the condition, can take on a career in care with us. Being a carer is a highly skilled, professional vocational occupation that is essential to the fabric of our society and the beauty of a job for life means people can start at the very bottom and work their way up with training and qualifications.
“We are looking for kind, honest, caring and reliable individuals who wish to have a stable and long-term career in care, and who would like to forge rewarding relationships with the service users they care for. No experience is necessary to become a carer, as free, full training is given.
“We can provide our free, full training on a fast-track basis to make sure everyone we take on is ready. This includes a company induction, first aid, information on dementia, health and safety, food safety, infection control, handling medication and moving and handling service users, with the opportunity to achieve Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) after the initial three months probationary period. The Government has also taken steps to ensure a quicker turnaround on DBS checks, so people can get into work quicker.
“New recruits are given free uniforms, access to national staff discount scheme for all major brands as well as 28 days paid holiday, paid travel between calls and paid mileage.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is looking for a change of career or someone who just fancies a bit of a change. Being a carer is an extremely rewarding job and you get to meet lots of wonderful people too.”
Anyone interested should contact their nearest branch and details of these can be found at https://abacare.org.uk/contact-us/. People can also find out more information about job vacancies at www.indeed.com/cmp/Abacare.
Abacare operates a professional Care Management Team that is committed to providing high quality care to individuals in their own homes.
The large team of trained, specialist, care workers provide positive based outcomes and person-centred care to people throughout the UK.
Abacare’s core values, instilled into every staff member, include ‘make us proud’, ‘focus on our service users’ wellbeing’, ‘communicate, listen well and speak with respect’, ‘be passionate, honest, caring and considerate’, ‘recruit and develop the very best’ and ‘lead by example’.
It believes it offers inspiring work for inspirational people as well as a flexible and supported working environment.
Abacare is a member of the United Kingdom Homecare Association, Ceretas (formerly British Association of Domiciliary Care), The National Homecare Council and The Information Commissioners Office (Data Protection). It is also registered with the Care Inspectorate Wales.
For more information or to enquire about a position at Abacare, please visit www.abacare.org.uk or www.indeed.com/cmp/Abacare. Alternatively, please follow the company on Facebook at http://bit.ly/2S5LDgb or on Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/visitabacare.
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