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How To Engage With Your Loved One Who Is In the Dementia Unit of a Facility

Is your loved one in the locked dementia area of a facility?

Are you unable to visit your loved one due to the pandemic?

Here are some tips on how you can continue to engage……..

Each facility is unique and they have their own procedures/processes and protocols. If you are not able to see your loved one during this pandemic, there are other ways that you can try and communicate with them. Following are some ideas…….once you review and figure out which ones you would like to try and initiate,  then speak with the facility to see which ones would be acceptable.

MAIL – These all assume that mail is accepted and can be given to your loved one

  • Have children/grandchildren/friends, etc. send your loved one a card on a regular basis. Once in awhile send a card that has music in it or is three dimensional. You can also send an oversized card once in a while … which might be fun
  • Send pictures and write a small story about the picture.
  • Send pictures that children have colored or painted so that they can be taped on the wall in the room.
  • Send a CARE package. You will want to confirm that the facility staff will help your loved one open it. Also, find out what you can send…..homemade treat?  Cookies that are prewrapped and purchased in a grocery store? Hand lotion?  Perfume?  You want to include things in the package that your loved one used to like…and again you can put notes with everything.

MUSIC

  • Send a CD player with CDs of old music they might like. This will only work if the staff says that they do have time to put the CD in the player and can supervise the playing of the CD

WINDOW MEETINGS

  • Ask if you can say hello through an open window. If there is no accessible window in the room – perhaps go to another area of the facility.

SUMMARY – the most important takeaway – if you are going to use the mail ideas – then you want to develop a PLAN so that as many people in the family as possible are involved. The goal would be to have something arrive almost every day for your loved one.  You also want to ask the facility if they will also accept  CARE   packages or mail at the front door – rather than mailing.  Also, include a  NOTE with everything that you send or deliver to your loved one.

It may also be fun to keep a family journal of everything that you ALL did for your loved one while you were not able to visit. This could be a keepsake someday and there are sure to be some fond memories.  If you have a staff member that is a good friend at the facility, it would also be fun if you could get them to periodically take a picture and send it to you so that you could include them in the journal. It could be as simple as a picture of your loved one receiving your CARE package.

If you or an aging loved one are considering non-medical in-home care in New Castle County, DE, call Griswold Home Care and speak to one of our caring staff members today. Call (302) 416-6758

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