How We Adopt Dementia Care Strategies

Elderly woman smiling and standing next to window with a cup in hand — *Credit: Andrea Piacquadio Via* *Pexels*

When someone close to you gets diagnosed with dementia, it can be challenging to figure out your next steps. You want to do your best to help them, but the process requires some knowledge about dementia care strategies.

Sagecare aims to continuously evolve and look for dementia strategies by carefully observing each senior and putting thought into our practices. We look beyond the disease and treat every case differently with the help of our specialized staff.

Our dementia care facilities attract purpose-driven staff, partners, and volunteers that come together to implement efficient dementia strategies to help your loved ones. Learn more about how we adopt these strategies to help our residents thrive in their new homes.

Person-centred Focus

Focusing on each resident allows us to understand the senior better and develop effective dementia strategies. This helps us understand their preferences, routines, pleasures, traumas, and anxieties. By learning more about each senior, we can make an informed decision about how to approach their case.

Taking a person-centred focus enables us to meet a senior's emotional, social, and practical needs. This step helps our residents feel more comfortable, allowing them to communicate their thoughts and feelings with our staff. When they feel more confident in our services, they can trust us to do what's best for them, making it more straightforward for our team to provide the care to a senior with dementia needs.

Caregiver in a nursing home with laptop and documents helping senior man — *Credit: Kampus Production Via* *Pexels*

Skilled Team

Since every individual living with dementia is different, a memory care home requires a wide range of professionals to respond to each person's unique needs. Working with specialists, registered nurses, consulting physicians, and Nurse Practitioners ensure that our dementia care approach fits every senior's needs. Sagecare's high staffing to resident ratio allows staff members to provide specialized care to the home's residents.

It's vital that all staff members know the best dementia care strategy when assisting seniors who need extra care. We also ensure that seniors are always comfortable in the environment, making it easier for them to live independently and feel at home.

Information & Support

A dementia care provider aims to help an aging adult live a fulfilling life and reduce stress for their family members. By providing up-to-date information about your loved one and educating you about our dementia care strategies, Sagecare aims to ease your mind.

Seniors with dementia can feel confidence in themselves and their abilities with the right support. Providing consistent support enables them to regain their confidence and helps them better manage their health and relationships.

Medicine Management

Medicines help seniors with dementia manage their symptoms, but it can be challenging for those with dementia to remember to take them. Medication helps seniors manage symptoms affecting thinking and memory, improving their mood and controlling unexpected negative behaviour. Medication management is one of the most crucial dementia care strategies.

According to a study, managing medicines is complex for people with dementia and their family carers, resulting in multiple problems leading to harm. A memory care home ensures that your loved one takes all their medication on time, reducing the risk of skipping or repeating a dose.

Caregiver taking out medicines from packaging — *Credit: Kampus Production Via* *Pexels*

Supportive Environment

A supportive environment is key to helping seniors with dementia feel like they are aging in place. Feeling supported and valued will enable them to blend into their new environment, interact with other residents, and live fulfilling lives.

Sagecare provides different types of support, such as individualized care plans, geriatric and psychogeriatric consultations, and religious or cultural activities. We help seniors establish a routine catered to their individual needs and capabilities by creating a care plan as a part of our dementia care strategy. A specialized care plan allows us to understand better how to care for each senior while monitoring their progress.

Dementia-Related Behaviour Management

One of the biggest challenges when caring for a loved one with dementia is coping with troubling and unusual behaviour. Dementia changes cognitive functioning and alters how an aging adult thinks, making it difficult to control their behaviour. This can lead to wandering, confusion, anger, agitation, and hallucinations.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common, and the key to helping them with this behaviour is identifying the triggers that result in these changes. According to research, the causes and risk factors for BPSD are multiple and include biological, psychological and environmental variables. Some behavioural issues stem from the inability to comprehend their situation, difficulty communicating, or frustration due to lack of memory.

Healthy Eating Habits

Proper nutrition is essential for a healthy mind and body. Lack of nutrition can increase behavioural symptoms and cause weight loss. Healthy food choices can boost the brain, support cognitive functioning, and improve overall health. Sagecare follows health promotion strategies for dementia by creating a healthy diet for dementia patients that includes balanced meals and snacks.

Some seniors with dementia may have trouble consuming regular meals because they forget to eat, or their condition may reduce their appetite. We aim to develop consistent strategies for feeding patients with dementia by providing a balanced diet with various foods, limiting distractions, keeping the table setting simple and being flexible with food preferences.

Senior women smiling while eating salad in the kitchen — *Credit: cottonbroVia* *Pexels*

Engagement in Activities

Keeping seniors with dementia mentally and physically active is essential for their health. One of our health promotion strategies for dementia involves slowing down the progression of the disease with memory-engaging activities.

Motivating individuals with dementia to participate in activities keeps their brains working, which can benefit their overall health. Some activities include board games, puzzles, physical exercise, and music.

Encouraging seniors to complete daily tasks, such as folding clothes or putting away the dishes, is an effective dementia care strategy that helps them feel a sense of independence. A consistent daily routine allows seniors to have structure to the day and reduce the risk of feeling disoriented or confused. Disorientation can lead to wandering, which is a common symptom of dementia. Wandering can be risky because the senior may get lost or hurt.

The Importance of Dementia Care Strategies

Creating dementia strategies and solutions are crucial components of caregiving. Sagecare offers a home-like environment to continuously provide its residents with the care they need. By implementing several dementia care strategies, we aim to provide a secure home without being restrictive.

Situations constantly change with dementia, so we remain open and observant to help the elders we serve consistently.

Dementia Care Strategies & How We Adopt Them