This information is designed to give general guidance and education about dementia and does not constitute medical advice. Please seek support from a medical professional if you think you or someone you know may be affected by Dementia.
Caring for someone with dementia can be both challenging and rewarding. As a caregiver, you play a crucial role in supporting and enhancing their quality of life, but caring for someone with dementia requires compassion, patience, and self-care. Prioritising your own well-being helps to ensure that you can provide the best care possible.
If you are caring for a loved one with Dementia, consider reaching out to organisations like Dementia Australia or Carer Gateway for detailed information, resources, education, and support tailored to caregivers.
Supporting a Loved One with Dementia
When caring for a family member with dementia, it’s important to remember that they are still the person you’ve always known and loved. Try to focus on their individual needs, preferences, and experiences rather than just their diagnosis.
There are many strategies that may help to support yours and your loved one’s well-being both generally, and in your role as a caregiver:
- Understanding Dementia: It can help to educate yourself about dementia, including how dementia affects behaviour, memory, and communication. Learning about the specific type of dementia your loved one has, as well as the symptoms, care needs and recommend strategies can be helpful, especially as these can vary.
- Try to See Beyond the Diagnosis: Remember that your loved one is more than their condition. Consider their lifelong personality traits, characteristics, values and beliefs, and likes and dislikes, both past and present. Remember also the special memories and experiences you share together.
- Maintain a Meaningful Connection: Focus on activities that draw on their interests and abilities, give them choices (where possible), bring moments of joy and connection, and allow them to participate rather than just observe.
- Understand Their Perspective: As dementia progresses, individuals with dementia may experience the world differently. Try to put yourself in their shoes when they seem confused or frustrated and validate their feelings, even if you don’t understand them. Look for meaning behind challenging behaviours and respond with patience and reassurance.
- Minimise Stress: Dementia can be stressful for both the person living with Dementia and the caregiver. Ensure to take breaks and seek support when needed. Consider respite care to give yourself a rest while ensuring your loved one’s needs are met.
- Create a Circle of Support: Don’t try to manage everything alone. Connect with other family members and friends, join local support groups for dementia caregivers, consider counselling services and/or explore community services and resources. It is also helpful to regularly assess what is working, and what needs to change.
Day-to-Day Support for Individuals with Dementia
- Create a Daily Routine: Consistency and routine is essential. Establishing a predictable daily schedule to reduce confusion and anxiety and help individuals living with dementia to feel more secure and oriented.
- Help with Daily Tasks: Help with daily tasks or seek support where available. It may help to reduce noise and distractions or break tasks into smaller, simpler steps.
- Encourage Good Hygiene: Provide or seek support for help with bathing, grooming, and dressing. Maintain oral hygiene and ensure regular dental and medical check-ups.
- Physical Health: Encourage light exercise, such as walking or gentle stretching. Try to maintain a balanced, nutritious diet and stay hydrated.
Challenges for Caregivers
It is common for caregivers to experience challenges when caring for somebody with Dementia, especially for individuals caring for a loved one without any prior experience of caring for individuals with Dementia.
Understanding the common challenges may help you to know more about what to expect, seek support, and approach your role as a caregiver with more awareness.
A study was conducted by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport within the framework of the Dutch National Dementia Program, amongst informal caregivers of individuals with Dementia. It identified the following common challenges:
- Grief: Some caregivers face difficulty coping with the feelings of grief surrounding the deteriorating situation of the person with dementia.
- Decision Making Responsibilities: It can be difficult to come to grips with becoming decision maker for the person with dementia.
- Physically and Emotionally Demanding: Caring for an individual with dementia can be emotionally, and at times, physically demanding. This sometimes lead to isolation or less social contact for the caregiver and the person with dementia.
- Resistance from the Individual: It can be hard to deal with the resistance from the individual with dementia, in terms of anger, confusion or fear.
- Changing Behaviours: Witnessing behavioural changes in their loved one can be confusing, difficult and worrying for caregivers to deal with.
- Lack of Information and Support: Caregivers often feel they haven’t received sufficient information about the symptoms and progression of dementia, or the support options available.
- Guilt and Resentment: Some caregivers reported experiencing guilt or resentment, as well as self-doubt about their ability to provide appropriate care for the individual while balancing other responsibilities.[2]
If you are struggling to cope with the challenges of caring for somebody with Dementia, or yourself or a loved one has been diagnosed with Dementia, it’s important to seek support.
Support organisations, such as charities and not-for-profits, support networks, community organisations and respite services, can help you to understand more about dementia, caring for somebody with dementia and the resources available, as well as to support you in the challenges you are currently facing.
Contact our team on 0406 721 123, or one or more of the support organisations listed below.
Dementia Support Organisations
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be challenging – but remember that you don’t have to do it alone. At the Footsteps Foundation, we support individuals with dementia, their families and caregivers.
There are also many organisations offering free short-term counselling services for caregivers, including:
Dementia Australia (National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500)
Free counselling, support groups, education programs and resources available Australia-wide.
Carers Queensland (Counselling and support: 1800 242 636)
Support groups, workshops, information and advocacy services available Queensland-wide services.
Carer Gateway (Free phone counselling: 1800 422 737)
Online counselling, coaching and peer support groups across Australia.
Carer support programs, local support groups and mental health resources in Brisbane metropolitan area.
By promoting awareness, advocating for research, and fostering compassion, we contribute to and strive for a world where all individuals with dementia receive the care and dignity they deserve.
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-care-for-someone-with-dementia; https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/caring-someone-living-dementia
[2] Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia: Problems, Needs and Support in the Initial Stage and in Subsequent Stages of Dementia: A Questionnaire Survey – PMC (nih.gov) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551235/
