How To Help Dementia Patients When Hospitalized | The Environment
How to help hospitalized dementia patients
No one wants to go to the hospital. Being hospitalized is difficult for any patient and their loved ones, but being hospitalized and having dementia is more than difficult for the patient and their loved ones. A change in environment intensifies symptoms of confusion, distraction, fear, paranoia, and agitation for those living with dementia. I’d like to share insight on how to help dementia patients when hospitalized, knowing the change in environment can negatively affect someone with dementia. I will also share how to advocate for a better environment during a facility stay.
Think of the last time you were in the hospital, or you visited someone in the hospital. Was it noisy? Did you hear unusual sounds? Did you see unfamiliar faces? Was it a busy environment? Did they serve food on a different plate than what you use at home? Did you drink from a styrofoam cup? Did several healthcare professionals come into your room at the same time? Were there different lights in your hospital room? Were you taken to another part of the hospital for testing or procedures? Did the hospital staff wake you up when you were resting to check on you?
I’m confident you answered yes to all the questions. Dementia does not allow one to adapt quickly to new environments. There are too many unfamiliar changes happening simultaneously. Consider how you would feel when you drove the same way to work, and the road is unexpectedly closed. Let’s say you don’t have GPS and you are in an unfamiliar area because you just moved. It’s an unsettling feeling because you must come up with an alternate route, quickly, and now you may be late for work and it’s a new job. Grasp that feeling for a minute. You are most likely frustrated, worried, or anxious. How would you feel if those symptoms lasted hours, or even days?
During admission, it’s important that the healthcare professionals immediately know the person is living with dementia. They may not be experts in dementia care so you will need to guide care related to the environment and teach them how to help dementia patients when hospitalized. Advocate for a private room in a quieter area, which is usually away from the nursing station, and attempt to begin a routine and familiarity from the start. Ask if the same nurse and nursing assistant can be assigned to the patient whenever they are on shift. This isn’t always possible, but there is no harm in asking.
Bring a familiar and favorite item to the room, with facility permission, such as a photo or blanket. If the patient enjoys music or a particular TV show, set that up in the room. If they wear glasses or hearing aids, make sure that they have them and they are in good working condition. The patient with dementia certainly doesn’t need communication barriers when they are already feeling ill. Bring comfortable and familiar clothing, with facility permission, to wear. Assist the patient in selecting items from the menu that you know they like and that they frequently eat and drink.
Ask the healthcare professionals to keep side conversations outside of the patient’s room. At times, they may do rounds, where several physicians, nurses and social workers gather at the bedside to discuss the plan of care. It’s acceptable to ask them to complete their evaluation, and then discuss the findings elsewhere. Ask the healthcare professionals to step outside of the patient’s room if they must answer a call on their phone. Anything that can create a quieter and less distracting environment, the better.
While you don’t want to overstep hospital protocol or make care difficult for the healthcare team, you do want to make the unfamiliar as familiar as possible for your loved one. Knowing how to help dementia patients when hospitalized will reduce the negative symptoms associated with the change in environment, and hopefully, allow the patient to recover quicker. If you need help during an admission, and you need advice, please don’t hesitate to contact me. http://www.wellnessstrategiesgroup.com/contact-wellness-strategies-group/
