Tiffany Gipson, Director at Mary Black Health System in Spartanburg offers the following article with helpful advice for families and caregivers responsible for the care of those dealing with dementia...a trying, emotional journey for all. Thank you Tiffany, for your insightful words of advice.
Remembering Patience
and Persistence with the Elderly
By
Tiffany Gipson,
Director
Working with people who suffer with dementia can be one of
the most rewarding and most challenging jobs you will find. You are caring for
someone who’s brain is deteriorating often times faster than their body is. You
must provide for the person’s medications, nutritional needs, bathing,
toileting and activities. Our days are long and filled from beginning to end
with various tasks. Sometimes that to-do list is so long that it makes taking
the time to connect with the patient difficult. When you find yourself
having behavioral issues with a person, it’s important to remember your Patience
and Persistence.
First, it takes a lot of patience, especially with the daily
demands placed on caregivers, work with the challenges that a dementia patient
presents. It also takes patience to redirect a person over and over again
and to have the same conversation repeatedly. It may help to remember that the
person you are working with is likely confused and unable to process
information like you or I can. They may be scared and feeling a sense of being
out of control of their own life and their own body. It’s important as
caregivers that we remember to take the time to acknowledge the person
where they are. You can simply ask them how they are feeling today or
acknowledge that they are having a hard time. Sometimes, just sitting and taking
to someone for 10 minutes asking them about their life and their home or family
may be the redirection that they need to turn them around for a little while or
give your co-worker a needed break.
Secondly, it takes a lot of persistence to care for a person
with dementia. It may take 30 minutes of trials to get a person to eat their
food or take their medications. It may take several staff members making the
attempt to provide care before the right person says the right thing at the
right moment and gets compliance from the person. It’s important to remain calm
and persistent and work with your team for the best outcomes.
Always remember, we have the healthy brain and the person
standing in front of you is doing the best that they can that day. You wouldn’t
ask a person with heart disease to run a marathon any more than you can ask a
dementia person to process information rationally or quickly. Set your goals
based on the best that person can do and you may find that you have better
outcomes.
Finally, if no one has mentioned it today, thank you for the
work that you do! It takes a special person to provide care to people suffering
from dementia.
Tiffany Gipson | Community Education
Manager | Mary Black Health System | 1700 Skylyn Drive | Spartanburg,
SC | Tel: (864) 573-3735 | Fax: (864) 573-3732 | http://www.maryblackhealthsystem.com
| tiffany.gipson@maryblack.org
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