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Caregiving • Dementia 4 Tips to Calm Someone Down with Dementia

A person with dementia is experiencing an extreme loss of their ability to process new information. It is a direct result of dementia and is a challenging time for all involved. Anger, confusion, and sadness are a few symptoms that a person with dementia may experience regularly. The key is to respond with care to the changing behavior and identify the cause. What is the person feeling that makes them agitated?

There are strategies that can help you respond to the challenges of dementia effectively and mindfully. One of the best things to learn is effective communication methods for helping your senior loved one cope. Let’s take a look at four helpful tips to calm down a loved one suffering from dementia. 

  • Create a calm environment and remove stressors. This may involve moving the person to a safer or quieter place, offering the security of an object, rest, or privacy. Try to avoid environmental triggers such as noise, glare, and background distraction. The brain can become overstimulated when encountering these circumstances.
  • Make personal comfort a priority. Check for pain, hunger, thirst, full bladder, fatigue, and infections. Also, make sure that the room is a comfortable temperature. Be sensitive to fears, threats, and frustration with expressing feelings during conversations.
  • Simplify tasks and routines. Simplify the surroundings when you notice signs of agitation. Try to move to a quieter space. Reducing the amount of non-essential items is a great way to increase feelings of calm in a home. Bold patterns and prints and moving objects can be confusing. A few meaningful, personal items will offer a more calming environment than an entire collection of items.
  • Try to say yes as much as possible. “Yes” is a powerful and affirming word. Saying “yes” lets your loved one know that you understand what is essential and that you are listening.

If you would like more information about how to help someone with dementia calm down, HouseWorks is here for you. We understand the challenges that come with helping a loved one cope with dementia, but you don’t have to go through the process alone. Please contact our caregivers today for your consultation.