Dementia Caregiving Easier with Nonverbal Communication Techniques
Perhaps you remember the movie "Cool Hand Luke." One of the memorable lines from the 1967 Paul Newman movie was, ""What we've got here is failure to communicate." The Captain, played by Strother Martin, said the line to Paul Newman, who played Lucas.
Communication is vital, whether it be at work, at school, or within groups of family and friends. With aging parents, communication becomes essential to help them manage fear and uncertainty related to the aging process and chronic diseases. Communication becomes much more challenging when your loved one has dementia.
It happens every three seconds - someone develops dementia. Over 50 million people live with dementia, which should double every 20 years, reaching 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Memory Loss - A Reality for Many People
There is a good chance a loved one will have some memory loss, which might be you decades from now. Greater longevity brings challenges, especially for those who suffer from dementia, including Alzheimer's.
The burden of caregiving is placed on family members or paid caregivers when no other plan was implemented. Communication is one of the significant problems with caring for a person suffering from memory problems. Without the proper techniques, this can be a considerable struggle.
As the disease progresses, the communication skills of a person with Alzheimer's or dementia decline. They have more difficulty expressing thoughts and emotions. This leads to frustration for the caregiver and the person who suffers from cognitive impairment.
Communication with a person with Alzheimer's or dementia requires patience, understanding, and good listening skills.
Language Barriers Add to Communication Problems
For people with whom English is a second language, dementia will bring additional communication challenges. As a person's ability to communicate decreases, people with dementia may begin using the language they first learned when they were children. Fluency in multiple languages decreases as we get older. There is a tendency to retreat to a single language. This tendency is true even for those with a lifetime of bilingualism once dementia starts to set in.
Caregivers should discover their loved ones' first language and prepare themselves to speak it with them if possible.
Professional caregivers and family members caring for someone should understand that their native language will become dominant as the disease progresses.
Body Language and Communication
Our body language will greatly influence our ability to communicate with someone with dementia. Nonverbal messages and facial expressions we send with body language sometimes will not match the words we use. The mismatch will cause confusion for the person with dementia.
Daily Caring offers these six tips to help caregivers - How to Talk to Someone With Dementia: Calm, Positive Body Language – DailyCaring.
Are You Prepared?
Aging is something we can't avoid. It happens, and we should prepare our families and finances for the costs and burdens that come with declining health, mobility problems, dementia, and the frailty of aging.
Caregiving is a tough job for professionals who are trained, but for family caregivers, it can be demanding physically and emotionally. Most family caregivers are untrained and unprepared to be a caregiver. Not only is the job difficult and time-consuming, but the caregiver must also try to balance their other responsibilities with that of being a caregiver. Jobs and other family responsibilities don't go away when they must care for a parent.
While it may be too late for your older parents, for you, the time may be the right time to get a plan in place.
LTC Insurance - Part of Your Retirement Plan
Affordable Long-Term Care Insurance should be considered part of your pre-retirement checklist of things to put into place. The chance of you needing some type of long-term health care is significant. The rapidly increasing cost of care services will impact your 401(k) IRA 403(b) SEP and other savings.
These costs will also adversely impact both you and your spouse's lifestyle and legacy. Long-Term Care Insurance will provide quality care options in your home or a facility, including assisted living, memory care, and adult daycare. This will give your loved ones the time to be family instead of caregivers. For many people, this is peace of mind knowing this pressure will not be placed on those you love.
When you plan in your 40's or 50's when your health is much better, premiums are very affordable - How Much Does Long-Term Care Insurance Cost? | LTC News.
While you can still find good value if you are older, it becomes more difficult because your health may prevent you from getting preferred health rates or even prevent you from obtaining coverage to start with.
Find a Long-Term Care Insurance specialist who represents all the major companies. Learn about Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership plans that provide additional asset protection. Learn about so-called hybrid plans. While these plans are expensive, they offer death benefits (in addition to long-term care benefits) that might be attractive to some people.
Long-Term Health Care Costs Soaring Nationwide
Inflation, high labor costs, and increasing demand for care make long-term health care costs soar. The costs vary depending on where you live and the type of services you require. It would be a hardship for most people if you had to pay an additional bill of $4000 or more a month today. When those costs are double in the decades ahead once you are retired, it is more than just a hardship.
Learn about the costs of long-term health care in your area or an area where you might move once you retire. You can start here and find your state or the state you're interested in: Cost of Care Calculator - Choose Your State | LTC News.
It is best to start this process before you retire. Simple and affordable advance planning can easily achieve peace of mind for you and your family. It is best to start this process before you retire. Peace of mind for you and your family can easily be achieved with simple and affordable advance planning.