| Elderly people respond best to a calm
and unhurried environment. This is not always easy to provide as their behavior
can sometimes be irritating, ff they got excited or upset then they may become
more confused and more difficult to look after. Although sometimes it can be
extremely difficult, it is best to be patient and not get upset yourself. You
should always encourage old people to do as much as possible for themselves but
be ready to lend a helping hand when necessary. Failing memory makes it difficult for the person to recall all the basic kinds of information we take for granted. The obvious way to help in this situation is to supply the information that is missing and help them make sense of what is going on. You must use every opportunity to provide information but remember to keep it simple and straightforward. "Good morning, Mum. This is Fiona, your daughter. It is eight o'clock, so if you get up now, we can have breakfast downstairs." When the elderly person makes confused statements e.g. about going out to his or her old employment or visiting a dead relative, correct in a calm matter-of-fact fashion: "You don't work in the office any more. You are retired now. Will you come and help me with the dishes?" We rely heavily on the information provided by signposts, clocks, calendars and newspapers. These assist us to organize and direct our behavior. Confused old people need these aids all the time to compensate for their poor memory. Encourage them to use reminder beards or diaries for important coming events and label the contents of different cupboards and drawers. Many other aids such as information cards, old photos, scrapbooks, addresses or shopping lists could help in individual case. |