3 Helpful Tips To Convince Your Elderly Parent With Dementia To Go To Adult Day Care
Caring for an elderly parent with dementia can make a lot of aspects in your daily life interesting and challenging, to say the least. Someone with dementia who needs a constant watchful eye over them can make it difficult for you, their primary caregiver, to go to work or run errands.
Fortunately, there are adult day care programs available that can help, but convincing your elderly parent with dementia to go to a center can be a hurdle. Here are a few ideas that may help.
Choose One Based On Their Interests
Choose a center that offers things that will make your parent want to attend. That way, it will make it easier for you to convince them into giving it a try. Think about what your parent enjoyed the most in their life and use that as a basis to determine which center would be more interesting to them.
For example, if your parent enjoyed attending classes or lectures, look for an adult day care center that includes them in their schedule. Many centers offer classes in things like quilting, woodworking, and computer literacy. Another example is if your parent enjoys reading books, look for a center that has a library or book clubs. Yet another example is if your parent enjoys playing board games or card games, look for a center that offers these types of activities on a daily basis.
Call It Something Else
The phrase "day care" makes most people think about babies and children, so you'll want to call the adult day care center something else. If the focus is on classes, then you can call it a learning center. If the focus is on reading, call it a book club. A day care center can be called an activity center if the focus is on games. If your parent volunteered extensively earlier in their life, perhaps you can refer to the center as a volunteer program where they can help other people, such as pushing wheelchairs or helping plan activities.
As the caregiver to someone with dementia, you know that sometimes tactics like manipulation and deceit are often necessary. For example, in doll therapy, which is a common type of therapy for dementia patients, you do not call the doll a doll.
Ease them Into It Slowly
When you've found the preferred center for your parent, ease them into it slowly. Don't overwhelm right off the bat by scheduling too much time there. The idea here is that when you pick them up from the center you want them to not want to leave. That way, they'll look forward to going back the next time they are scheduled to. If they are overwhelmed and anxious to leave the center, then it will be more challenging for you to convince them to go again the next time. Contact a local center, like Independent Days Adult Care Center, Inc., for more information.
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