It’s difficult to handle and treat a person with dementia, both from physical and emotional perspectives. Aurum Senior and Assisted Living is a renowned home for dementia care in the heart of Gurgaon, providing high-quality dementia care for seniors. The core dementia management and care team at Aurum comprises neurologists, physicians, ICU-trained nurses, and experienced caregivers, who are well-trained at identifying symptoms of dementia, its management, and treatment. They also help seniors take precautionary measures whenever necessary. At Aurum, care plans and programs are designed as per the stage of the patient’s illness and their Behavioral and Psychological symptoms. While researchers have confirmed that dementia is a manageable illness, is irreversible and as an individual ages, dementia keeps deteriorating.
What is Dementia?
Dementia is quite a wide term to understand. Putting in simple words, it is the deterioration in overall cognitive functions of a person as compared to their previous level of functioning. It may affect cognitive functions, like thinking, remembering, speaking, and reasoning. Dementia also has an effect on the person’s mood, personality and behavior .There are different types of dementia that result in deterioration of one’s memory, thinking capacity, leading to change in habits and behaviors, disorientation to time, place and person, ultimately affecting the ability to carry everyday tasks. Although it is not necessary that all aging or aged individuals will develop dementia in some or the other form, a whopping 20% people in India above 80 years had Dementia (2011 census).
Impact of Dementia
Once diagnosed with dementia, a patient finds nearly all spheres of his or her life impacted. Not only the individual himself suffers from the physical, social, physiological, and economic impact, but the difference is felt by their near and dear ones too. The careers and quality of life of patients are jeopardized, families and people around them, also, find it quite diffident to cope as they transition into the role of a caregiver. . However, with proper dementia care for seniors, this burden can be reduced.
Some of the common symptoms of dementia are:
∙ Loss of judgment and decision-making ability
∙ Loss of orientation in time and space
∙ Deterioration of problem-solving abilities
∙ Loss of verbal communication
∙ Behavioral changes including eating, dressing, and interests
∙ Inability to perform household tasks
∙ Inappropriate response, lack of emotional control
Advanced level dementia care for seniors is necessary. At Aurum, a team of highly qualified medical practitioners has devised a holistic dementia and memory care program. Here, senior citizens suffering from dementia are engaged through cognitive stimulation activities on a regular basis.
The activities for dementia care for seniors include –
∙ Mental stimulation through practicing puzzles, games, and reading
∙ Physical stimulation through encouragement for walking, exercise, and dancing
∙ Creative stimulation through art and craft, painting,
∙ Daily support and encouragement in simple tasks like taking bath, brushing, eating and getting dressed
Music Therapy through singing, humming and listening to music
How effective is Reminiscence Therapy?
Reminiscence therapy is an integral part of the Dementia Care for Seniors and Memory Care program at Aurum. The objective of this therapy is to activate the brain cells in patients, by getting them to access memories from the past. Cognitive stimulation activities improve memory conditions and also reduce the rate of decline of dementia patient’s cognitive function. At Aurum, these activities are a part of the Dementia care program for seniors. They are held one-on-one and also in groups under the supervision of doctors. As per the requirement of individual seniors at Aurum, doctors prescribe a combination of activities comprising of
∙ Looking through photo albums
∙ Creating scrapbooks
∙ Telling stories
∙ Re-reading letters and greeting cards
∙ Creating music playlists
