Anger Management Tips for Seniors with Dementia

Dementia in seniors is marked by a persistent decline in their intellectual abilities like memory, judgment, language, and abstract thinking. The activities which are very simple for us, like brushing our teeth, becomes difficult for a senior suffering from dementia. Sometimes, they may even forget the color of their brush and so many other basic things.

When even the easiest tasks of the daily routine seem complex and overwhelming, it is obvious for seniors to feel frustrated. This frustration often turns into anger, which can harm relationships, impair their judgment abilities, and have a negative impact on the way people see them. This is when the need of anger management comes in.

Here are some tips to follow as a family member in order to manage anger towards both yourself and your senior loved one:

1. Keep the distress and worries away from them as long as possible, and try to comfort them by listening to their talks attentively. Most of all, they need is your love, support and care.
2. Try to help them diminish their confusion. Due to the decline in their brain function and loss of memory, seniors often get confused in simple things, which further results in anger.
3. Handle them calmly and politely. They may be angry for some reason you can’t understand but your support, care and attention will help them deal with the situation better.
4. Give them memory reminders. Help them by providing small memory cues so that they do not forget things. Split a task for them into small parts so that they can easily carry out the whole “small” task without difficulty.
5. Never make them feel lonely and try to understand their emotions rather than focusing on their rude behavior.
6. Encourage them to exercise regularly. Exercises have many physical and mental health benefits.

If your senior loved one is suffering from dementia and you are unable to deal with their anger, try to follow the tips mentioned above. You can contact Always Best Care for professional help regarding senior care. Always Best Care is one of the leading Home Health Care Providers in Vancouver. To learn more, call them at (778) 945-3010.

5 Foods Seniors Should Avoid Eating

Once you reach your senior years, you become more prone to food poisoning because of your weakening immune system. Therefore, it becomes more important to change your eating habits as you age. Enjoying tasty treats with no nutritional merit occasionally is fine, however your daily diet should have all the essential vitamins and minerals your aging body needs.

There are also some foods that you should cut or exclude from your diet as you get older and some of them are listed below:

1. Raw eggs: Raw and under-cooked eggs can be very dangerous for seniors. This is because eating raw eggs presents a risk of salmonella infection and can have other unfortunate health consequences as well. Although anyone can develop a salmonella infection, seniors are at a higher risk.


2. Soft cheese: Soft cheeses are generally unpasteurized and can allow bacteria to breed in large amounts. While the soft cheese may not be much of an illness threat for younger people, they can harm seniors’ health.


3. Bean sprouts: Seniors should avoid eating raw or lightly cooked bean sprouts as they are a breeding ground for illness-inducing bacteria, which causes food poisoning. To get all the benefits of sprouts without the dangerous risk of bacteria, you should consume leafy green vegetables like collard greens, Kale, Swiss chard, and spinach.


4. Unpasteurized Milk: Most of the minerals found in milk are lost during the pasteurization process. This is probably why some people think that unpasteurized milk is much better for their health. However, unpasteurized milk harbors a lot of bacteria that pose a threat to your health. Therefore, seniors should only drink milk which has been thoroughly pasteurized.


5. Raw Seafood: Eating raw sea foods, such as oysters and other shellfish, can cause food-borne diseases in seniors. Vibrio vulnificus is a disease that is caused by bacteria found in uncooked shellfish. If you want to eat clams, mussels, or oysters, make sure they are completely cooked.

If you are worried about the nutrition of aging your loved one, hire Always Best Care’s caregivers to give them the best Home Care services in Vancouver. Call (778) 945-3010 to learn more.