WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH LATE TO MODERATE STAGE DEMENTIA

Is your loved one ready for a baby doll? How about a stuffed animal? Stroking and looking after a “love object” is soothing to many people approaching severe-stage dementia. These activities satisfy a sense of purposefulness and calm. Those with a tendency to agitation or upset, as well as those making a transition (such as to a new housing situation) can be especially soothed. Get past anxieties that these “toys” are infantilizing to someone with dementia; in fact, they can seem very real to the person, who takes them seriously and may derive great comfort and joy from them. They even work as security objects when you can’t be there, providing a substitute for the feeling of security you normally provide. And that’s a great thing for you.