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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffEach person with dementia experiences symptoms and progression differently. Consequently, the techniques to care for each person should vary. Caregivers may need to adapt the following tips to individual situations:
- Enhance communication. When talking with your loved one, stand where you can be seen and touch his or her arm or shoulder to focus attention. Speak slowly, in simple sentences and don't rush the response. Present only one idea or instruction at a time. Use gestures and cues, such as pointing to objects.
- Encourage exercise. Exercise carries many benefits. The fact that these benefits often are the same for people without dementia doesn't lessen their importance. In fact, it just makes exercise a more important activity for caregivers and people with dementia to engage in together. The main benefits of exercise include improved strength and cardiovascular health. Exercise can also lessen symptoms of depression, help retain motor skills and create a calming effect. It can also help sustain strength, flexibility and balance — which may lessen the risk of serious injury from a fall.
- Establish a nighttime ritual. Behavior is often worse at night. Try to establish going-to-bed rituals that are calming and away from the noise of television, meal cleanup and active family members. Leave night lights on to prevent disorientation. Limiting caffeine during the day, discouraging daytime napping and offering opportunities for exercise during the day may help prevent nighttime restlessness.
