Guiding Residents in More Ways Than One

Saturday, December 28th 2024

By: Charlotte Hendrey

Today at Bello Gardens Assisted Living, I led a fun coloring activity! I got three coloring books, and asked each of the residents which one they would like to get a page from. Encouraging them to make small personal decisions, and guiding them through their decision making is important. I helped two residents pick out their coloring pages. Cesar (left), and Jo (right), both chose to color flowers!

I helped the residents pick out colors for their flowers, and asked them questions like "what is your favorite color". I also asked them what the name of the color that they were using was. I like to turn fun activities into teaching moments for the residents, and they enjoy it! I helped them remember the names of the colors. Some of them were able to name the colors, while others needed help.

Cesar (left) speaks both English and Spanish, and I am taking Spanish lessons in school. So I asked him the colors in Spanish, and he was able to name the orange marker (naranja) and the yellow one (amarillo). Since he is bilingual, I like to help him remember words in both of his languages, because I have noticed that bilingual dementia patients often lose the ability to speak one of their languages, and their minds get "stuck" speaking the other, so it is important to help them exercise and speak both languages.

For example, I know one resident at another facility who speaks Japanese and English, but finds a hard time switching between the two. So she gets very confused when nobody can understand her when she is speaking Japanese, because it can be difficult for her to differ between Japanese and English. Cesar is fully verbal, and it is important to exercise his speaking so that he can continue to speak his languages without issue. I hope that this helps him in the future, and that he can continue to speak both Spanish and English.

While we were coloring, Jo (right) was super happy, and we were having a nice conversation about her grandchildren. Then, all of a sudden, Jo began to grow very confused. She got up and told Cesar that they had to leave, and that they had to "eat dinner". I expained to her that it was 10:30 in the morning, and that they would eat dinner later. Jo did not accept my answer, and instead started to grow very frustrated, repeating that they had to go eat dinner and mumbling to herself. Jo then started to whisper to Cesar, telling him not to listen to me, and Cesar was trying to tell Jo to stop.

I have known Jo for quite some time, so I know how to calm her down. She tends to switch between moods very quickly, and there are certain things that can bring her back to being happy. I spoke to her very calmly, telling her that she is safe. I told her to take some deep breaths, and I got her to sit down and calm down. There is no perfect way to deal with dementia, because each person is different. The key is finding their triggers and learning how to deescalate the situation.

After calming her down, I played piano which soothed her. She was calm again, and when I was finished playing, she got up and gave me a hug. It is important to make them feel understood and cared for, and learn to help them through it. It is easy to be offended if a resident is acting up towards you, but you have to remember that their dementia makes it difficult for them to know what to say and do sometimes. The best thing to do is to be understanding and calm in these situations, and if you are unsure what to do, find a caretaker at the facility for help.