Creating a Plan to Adapt to Changes
Discover strategies to evaluate patterns, address challenges creatively, and adapt your caregiving approach as your loved one's needs change.
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Behaviors can be complex and at times unpredictable for those with dementia. Cognitive changes can impact your loved one’s thoughts, feelings, routines and the way they interact with you.
As you look for ways to manage these changes, consider the following to help you cope and create daily successes in your caregiving journey.
- Evaluate your situation. Each caregiver’s experience will be different simply because no two individuals are the same. What works for you and your loved one with dementia, may not work for someone else. With that in mind, take note of patterns you may notice in your loved one’s daily behavior. Is there a time of day that caregiving seems more difficult? Are there triggers that create confusion, sadness or anger?
- Learn strategies to help. Based on your evaluation of your situation, look for solutions to connect with the challenges you may be experiencing. For example, if your loved one’s behavior becomes difficult when you visit an unfamiliar place, try finding ways to create familiarity. Can you bring along their favorite pillow or comfort item? Or is there a special photo album or activity book that can keep them busy? Whatever the situation, look for creative ideas to combat behaviors the best you can. Completely avoiding difficult behavior isn’t possible, but you can develop plans for when it arises based on your specific caregiving situation. For ideas on care strategies, see our other resources:
Practical Strategies for Common Behaviors
Understanding and Managing Agitation and Aggression
- Re-evaluate regularly. One certainty in life is that things will change. And, this is no different for individuals with dementia. As their disease progresses, their needs and behaviors will change, and your caregiving strategies may need to change too. Look for ways to get connected with other caregivers to share common experiences and ideas on how to make the caregiver journey more manageable.