BrightStar Care Supports North Bucks Area Families Living with Dementia
Helping North Bucks Families Look at Dementia Stigmatization
As our society ages and more Americans experience severe cognitive decline we need to be aware of stigmatization and caregiver challenges. BrightStar Care supports families living with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, and shows North Bucks’ family caregivers it is possible to overcome the challenges of care for someone with dementia.
Here are some ideas to improve dementia caregiving:
- See fear for what it is: It is inexcusable when people abandon others during their time of need. But when faced with something terrifying, fear may override reason, and even love, as survival instincts kick in. Not everyone is built for handling crises. We don’t know who we can really rely on in a fix until it happens. As difficult as it sounds, we must try not to take emotional limitations personally.
- Beware of shaming self-stigma: Feeling ashamed of our loved ones’ embarrassing behaviors, and then shielding them from others to preserve their dignity, sends signals that only strengthen the inclination. If we want others to be there for us through dementia caregiving, then we must have enough courage to keep reaching out to them with openness and honesty.
- Don’t answer “Fine": It’s easy to assume that no one really wants to know how you’re doing, even if they ask as a conversational courtesy. But it’s a mistake to respond with a one-word, perfunctory non-answer. Instead, create a short script that accurately reflects both the negative and positive aspects of how caregiving is going.
- Create teachable moments: Stigma thrives with ignorance and inexperience. Exposing others to living with dementia increases their familiarity and reduces their fear. But the right conditions must hold. Reach out to an individual friend — not to a whole group — to invite them to lunch at your home with you and your cognitively impaired loved one. Sometimes avoidance is simply due to a lack of understanding of how to act. During the time together, show your guest how you respond to awkward situations, by gently steering conversations back on track or stroking your loved one’s arm when they seem agitated.
We hope these tips help improve your caregiving experience. Sources for ‘Four Tips on the Stigma of Dementia Caregiving’ are courtesy of this resource:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/caregiver/dementia-care/caregiving-strategies/story/2019-05-07/overcoming-the-stigma-of-dementia-and-isolation-of-caregiving
BrightStar Care of North Bucks provides a full continuum of private duty home care services comprised of companionship, personal care, transportation, medication assistance, skilled nursing and more to improve the lives of those living with aging care needs.