:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/AD7P3M43MFFFPBTTAEOIOWG7N4.jpg "Ten strategies for interacting with someone with dementia 1")
hollywood actor Bruce Willis suffers frontotemporal dementia. A year ago, in March 2022, specialists had made a first diagnosis of aphasia – a language disorder that makes it difficult to read, write and speak -, then, a series of tests and additional studies pointed to the exact reason for your health problems. According to World Health Organization (WHO)dementia worldwide affects approximately 50 million people and every year about 10 million new cases are recorded.
Additionally, the international body warned that “It is estimated that between 5% and 8% of the general population aged 60 and over suffer from dementia at any given time.”. He even warned: “It is expected that the total number of people with dementia will reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050″. In view of this panorama, evaluating the request made by the actor’s current wife, Emma Heming, who posted a message for the paparazzi on her social networks, is more than relevant.
According to the message, he begged them to try keep a safe distance from the actor and also that they don’t yell at him when they chase him down the street to take his picture; For the past few days, a group of photographers have been trying to speak to Willis when they find him having coffee with friends in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. This way of approaching things could generate an adverse and counterproductive reaction in the 67-year-old actor, explained the woman.
After reading the WHO projections and after analyzing the post of Willis’s wife, the reflection is almost necessary: how to approach people with these disorders that often change personality and behavior. And even if it is sometimes difficult and hard, the behavior of the family nucleus and friends towards the sick person must be understanding and inclusive.
In this sense, since The post of Jerusalem summary ten useful expert tips for interacting with someone with this type of disorder.
1- Try not to react critically: People with dementia are neither crazy nor lazy. They say and do normal things for dementia patients. If they did or said things with the intent to annoy, your diagnosis would be different.
2- Some things cannot be changed: The reality of patients with dementia is different from that of most of those around them, and the environment can do nothing to change the disease. You can only control your reactions.
3- His “handicap” is the loss of memory: they cannot remember, and they forget that they cannot remember. They’ll ask the same question over and over again, thinking it’s the first time they’ve asked it. They don’t hide things, they protect them by hiding them somewhere safe. Sometimes they do it out of anxiety or boredom, and other times there is a vague memory that gives a sense of loss, memories of a distant past.
The advice at this point is not to take accusations of theft personally. Instead, look around and see where the person is hiding their stuff. When you can find things easily, it will prevent panic attacks and false accusations.
4- They are afraid: people with dementia suffer many losses as the disease develops. We all feel anxious when something is lost and we can’t find it eventually. This is the daily experience of dementia patients.
They are anxious most of the time, and each patient expresses their anxiety differently. Some may be passive, uncooperative, hostile, angry, restless, swearing, or physically violent. They may even combine all of these behaviors at different times. Anxiety may cause them to follow someone around.
It may be helpful to ask your doctor about medications that reduce anxiety and calm you down.
5- Give them your full attention: when trying to talk to a person with dementia, it is advisable to neutralize the noise in the environment, turn off the television and radio, close the doors, etc. Before you start talking, calling the person by name, reminding them who you are, even if they are close relatives, can help. You will also have them sit or stand so that the patient can easily see the other person and not behind them, and maintain eye contact.
6- They do not invent stories; they experience reality in a different and sometimes threatening way: not reacting by dismissing your feelings, not correcting them with anger even if what you say seems strange and even absurd. Always respond by trying to understand what is bothering them and respond with empathy; calm them down and distract them.
For example, if a person expresses anxiety that someone is trying to steal money from them, they need empathy and protection. It is completely understandable how unpleasant and even terrifying it is when someone tries to rob us. The recommendation is to reassure him that this will not happen and to distract him by offering him an activity, for example by asking him to help with light work in the kitchen.
7- How to prevent an aggressive response? Don’t try to convince him, argue, confront or criticize him. Do not remind people with dementia that they are forgetting and do not ask about the past few days as short-term memory is already impaired in the early stages of the disease, and with it the ability to concentrate and learn .
8- Do not try to “educate” a person with dementia, just play the game: Putting yourself in their shoes for a moment can be a big help. Try to hear with your ears, see with your eyes, and feel with your heart. Trying to figure out what they tried and couldn’t say. If they’re confused, help them find the words, offer response options, have an empathetic and inclusive conversation to help them relax, and carry on the conversation.
9- Do not lose your sense of humor: dealing with situations with humour, even making fun of yourself can help. Remind the person of a funny incident from the past, tell a good joke and laugh together. Laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural happiness hormones.
10- Get help: Day centers are generally a good alternative for people with memory loss.
People with dementia will receive treatment there for about five hours a day, which will ease the burden on their families. A day center for these people is a community service for people who live at home and wish to integrate into a community-social framework offering a variety of services.
Frontotemporal dementia is a cruel disease about which little is known but which can affect anyone. Even in people over the age of 60, it is the most common form of dementia and it is thought that it could affect more people than you think because it takes many years to diagnose. This disease affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain and consists of a group of brain disorders that generate alterations in personality, behavior and language, according to details Mayo Clinic.
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