As one’s dementia progresses your loved one may begin to experience periods of paranoia. This can be extremely difficult to deal with as a caregiver and often creates frustration on the part of the caregiver and is scary for the person living with dementia. Sometimes these episodes are sporadic and other times this paranoia never seems to go away. To the person suffering from a paranoid episode, it feels very real and often will not be convinced that what they believe is not the case. The most important thing a caregiver can do is provide the support and comfort to their loved one. The following are several strategies that can be used by caregivers to support and ease these behaviours.
It is important as a caregiver to always remain calm. If you are not calm a person with dementia can sense this and could aggravate the behaviours even more. If the behaviours escalate have a plan in place on who to call for assistance. It maybe as simple as calling another loved one and having them talk to your loved one.
Be cautious before responding to the person with delusions again assess the situation. As long as the person is not harming themselves or putting a caregiver at risk often the best solution is to just ignore this false belief.
Letting the person with dementia know they are in a safe place and that you are there to guide them through there day is really important. By offering reassurance and speaking in soft tones may reassure the loved one. If the loved one continues to be agitated, or wants help with the delusion sometimes a gentle hand may also be comforting. A gentle touch to the persons shoulder or back may prove a feeling of safety which again is reassuring.
Ask questions that are open-ended. An open- ended question are those questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. The loved one needs to be able to elaborate their points its to open up discussion. Open ended questions allow the caregiver to get feedback in the words of the loved one instead of getting stock answers. Questions such as How can I help
you feel safe? Or I know the feeling of being scared and I a her to help you, tell me more about this is like for you?
Distraction has proven to be one of the best ways to deal with behaviours. By diverting someone’s attention it causes the person to stop what they were thinking and follow a new direction. It maybe a simple as saying look at the lovely birds in the tree or taking the person out for a walk. Sometimes it maybe as simple as moving the into a different part of the home where it maybe more comforting. Making the environment brighter can make hallucinations less frightening. Asking the person to help with some chores may bring them back to reality.
It is important to remain honest but never try and prove to your loved one that you right and they are wrong. This can create further agitation and create a non trusting relationship. Do not lie the person may ask you if you see the person they are seeing. Your response might be “I know that you see a person in the corner, but I do not see them. If you tell the person that you do see what they are seeing this could escalate the behaviours further.
Finally, changing the environment may have a great impact on changing the behaviours. When looking at the person’s environment see what things the person appears to be concerned about. Maybe it is a reflection in a mirror soclosing curtains or putting a sheet over a mirror may stop the person from seeing something. Turn on lights to reduce shadows. A dark rug may represent a large hole causing the person to be scared and feeling unsafe.
