While the medical profession continues its tireless work to develop a cure for dementia, frontline care workers are adopting a more holistic approach to improving quality of life for seniors with dementia.
The medical profession is preparing for the unprecedented number of people predicted to be living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias over the next two decades. And those on the frontlines assisting families and their loved ones also need to look closely at care strategies.
Researchers work relentlessly to find a cure while those on the forefront of care have begun to look at something else — quality of life. While kindness, compassion, and safety are foundational to dementia care, behavioral therapies and interactive opportunities for those living with dementia are now seen as equally important parts of a care plan.
Thinking of care as something beyond meeting basic needs for safety and supervision is not a new idea, but one that is evolving and being implemented more and more. The impact of music, for example, or art classes or pet therapy, have brought a vitality to seniors that previous care strategies didn’t always manage to do.
Professionals working in senior care continue to find new ways to understand barriers people are facing. Trainings and certifications provide comprehensive maps for assisting people living with dementia to live a more holistic existence, far beyond the isolation and stigma that are commonly experienced.
Compassionate communication and supportive, creative, person-centered approaches to care are the paths to a better quality of life for families and their loved ones.