Home Care Services: Outings with someone who has dementia can be extremely difficult.
Depending on the day, your elderly loved one could be having a good day or a terrible one. The thing is that you won’t know what type of day they are going to have until the day of the outing. Sure, you can do things to try to keep your elderly loved one in a good mood. However, you can’t guarantee anything. With this being said, there are some tips to help you plan for a great outing with someone who has dementia. A home care services provider is a great consideration to help out.
Choosing the Right Time
How does your elderly loved one do at certain times of the day? Have their home care assistance providers told you that they struggle with mood swings in the evening? Have you noticed that your elderly loved one seems too tired in the early afternoon hours? If this is the case for your elderly loved one, it is best to avoid those times. You should choose times for the outings that match with when your elderly loved one is usually in a good mood.
Preparations
Before you go on the outing, you will need to prepare your elderly loved one for what will happen. Some of the things you should talk to them about include:
- Where you will be going
- Who will be going with them (you or a home care provider)
- How long they will be away from home
- If there will be loud noises or a lot of people (these things should be avoided if possible)
- If your elderly loved one gets too upset every time you try talking to them about the plans, it may be best not to have them go. You may want to schedule something a little more low-key.
Simple Outings are Best
If your elderly loved one has dementia, it is important to remember that their mood can change at any time. For this reason, it is usually best to keep outings simple for people with dementia. If you can keep them short and not too chaotic, things will likely go smoother for you and your elderly loved one.
Home Care Services: Conclusion
These are some of the best outing tips for someone who has dementia. If your elderly loved one has this disease, make sure to think about these things before planning any outings for them. If you need extra help caring for your elderly loved one while they are on an outing, you can have home care services providers to help. If at any time, during the outing, things become too much for your elderly loved one, it may be best to take them home.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering hiring Home Care Services in Stoneham, MA, please contact the caring staff at Visiting Nurse & Community Care today. (781) 643-6090
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/adapting-activities-people-alzheimers-disease