Memory Care Tips
Engage in brain-healthy activities
- Exercise
- Eat healthfully; drink in moderation
- Stimulate your mind
- Stay socially active
- Reduce stress
- Get plenty of sleep
Reduce Your Risk of Forgetting
- Create to-do lists
- Focus on one activity at a time
- Keep your calendar up to date
- Repeat something you want to remember out loud
- Store important items (keys, wallet, medicine) in a designated place
- Write notes to yourself
Minimize Disorientation While in the Hospital
- Ask the doctor if you can bring favorite foods from home
- Bring a favorite sweater, music, or pictures to make yourself more comfortable
- Bring your glasses, hearing aids, dentures to the hospital
- Get moving at least three times a day (get help from the nurse when warranted)
- Have a list of your medical conditions, allergies, and medications handy
How to Communicate with Someone Living With Dementia
One of the techniques to reach those living with dementia is called validation. We all like being validated. Having someone tell us that what we’re feeling or thinking has merit or that something we’ve accomplished is worthwhile makes us feel good. This is particularly true for someone living with dementia.
These individuals often feel left out or different, so anything that validates their contributions and emotions makes them feel more connected. For instance, if a loved one says, “Eisenhower is doing a great job as president,” rather than correcting them and bringing them into your world, you could simply respond, “Yes, he’s done some really good things.”
If they say, “I have to get to work,” ask them what they like best about their job. If they say, “I have to pick up Sarah from dance class,” ask them to share their favorite memories of Sarah. This validates their current reality and provides a foundation for you to have a conversation.
Trying to bring someone into the “real world” when they aren’t living there can be highly frustrating and upsetting. This is why you should never “correct” them by forcing them back in “reality.”