Dementia and depression are often closely linked, and while dementia doesn’t have a cure in most cases, depression can be alleviated. However, new research is showing that simple mindfulness training exercises can not only help slow down the rate of dementia, but it can also help with depression, improve the quality of life, and help people to sleep better. What was most surprising about a study though, was the fact that caregivers also benefited from the same mindfulness exercises when taking the sessions with the elderly folk they were assisting.
The study was not huge; it only looked at a handful of individuals with dementia, mostly Alzheimer’s disease patients. However, according to the reported study, the results were undeniable after only eight sessions. The activities were pretty simple, and they were geared toward helping people learn and remember new habits in order to overcome the limitations imposed upon them by their age and dementia. It went a little beyond this, too, as participants were taught to stop obsessing about their predicament and accept it, all while focusing on doing what they could to improve things.
This illustrates a very important point. When looking for a caregiver for your elderly loved one, finding a caregiver that is interactive and goes far beyond the bare minimum is extremely important. A high quality caregiver needs to look at those things for sure, but they should also be ahead of the game when it comes to these seemingly little things. The “little” things are the ones that take life from adequate to enjoyable. Regardless of whether you are looking at in-home care or assisted living, the best life possible for your loved one should be your end goal. If simple things like mindfulness training can help, it is something that you should be asking about when selecting a care giving option. It doesn’t necessarily need to be something highly structured, but little things done together can be helpful, and this could have the potential to mean a world of difference for your family.
Do not forget that being a family caregiver takes a toll on the caregiver, too. When you have a relative with severe dementia, getting frustrated is a fact of life. This can easily progress to depression if left unchecked. If this is helpful for caregivers and you find yourself getting in a rut, perhaps this is something that you should learn more about. The caregivers that benefited from this training were primarily family members, which is very encouraging news if you are currently struggling to assist a loved one. And the easiest part of all of this was that it was something the pair can do together. This improves the relationship between caregiver and the person being helped and it improves communication, too. This, inevitably, will lead to a higher quality of overall care in the end. If you are going to stay a family caregiver, or you’re looking for in-home care, improving the mood of your elderly loved one is extremely important for your entire family.
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