My 95 year old mother, now in a nursing home, has been classed as having moderate dementia. She recently made a move into the high care part of the facility because her mobility is limited after she suffered a hip fracture last year.
To make the transition a bit smoother (it was extremely traumatic at the time) I now use my own products to help her.
I take a portable DVD player with me and play the "Beautiful Blooms" DVD. Mum was a keen gardener in her time and she really loves this DVD which is full of beautiful shrubs and flowers. Some of the photos in the DVD were taken in her garden too so we can discuss her time spent there.
As well as the visual and aural aspects we also do something else. While the DVD is playing and Mum is watching that, I put some lavender hand lotion on her hands and get her to massage that into her hands. I also rub some body lotion onto her forehead and some parts of her face (the air conditioning seems to dry out her skin). The lovely scent of lavender is very calming. I also comb her hair to stimulate the scalp. She seems to find this very relaxing.
Recently, I've been massaging Mum's fingers and hands and afterwards get her to do mine. This appears to be helping with her hand movements. After she's finished all this, I give her a hand mirror and she does the final hair styling and puts on some lipstick in readiness to go to lunch or the evening meal.
The whole combination of sight, sound and smell, plus a bit of pampering and light exercise, just seems to lift her spirits. Why not give it a try in your own situation.
If you enjoyed this blog post please share it with others.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment