What to do to live better with the elderly with mental confusion

To live with the elderly with mental confusion, who does not know where he is and refuses to collaborate, becoming aggressive, one must remain calm and try not to upset him so that he does not become even more aggressive and agitated.

The elderly with mental confusion, which can be caused by a mental illness like Alzheimer's or due to dehydration, for example, may not understand what is said and resist daily activities such as bathing, eating or taking medication. Find out what the main causes are: How to treat the main causes of mental confusion in the elderly.

The difficulties of daily living with the confused elderly person can lead to discussions between him and his caregiver, putting his safety at risk.

See what you can do to facilitate care and coexistence in this situation:

How to talk to the elderly with mental confusion

The confused elderly person may not find the words to express himself or even not understand what is being said, not following orders, and, therefore, it is important to be calm while communicating with him, and should:

Be close and look the patient in the eye, so that he realizes that they are talking to him; Hold the patient's hand, to show affection and understanding and reduce aggression; Speak calmly and say very short phrases such as: "Let's eat"; Make gestures to explain what he is saying, exemplifying if necessary; using synonyms to say the same thing for the patient to understand; listening to what the patient wants to say, even if it is something he has already said several times, as it is normal for him to repeat the ideas.

Show affection

Say simple sentences that mean the same thing

Exemplify what it is to do

In addition, the elderly person can hear and see poorly, so it may be necessary to speak louder and facing the patient for him to hear correctly.

How to maintain the safety of the elderly with mental confusion

Generally, the elderly who are confused, may not be able to identify the dangers and may put their lives and that of other individuals at risk. Thus, it is important to:

Place an identification bracelet with the name, address and telephone number of a family member on the patient's arm; Inform the neighbors of the patient's condition, if necessary, help him; Keep doors and windows closed to prevent the elderly from leaving home and get lost; hiding keys, especially from home and car because the elderly person may feel like driving or leaving the house; not having visible dangerous objects, such as glasses or knives, for example.

Wear an ID bracelet

Hide dangerous objects

Close doors and windows

In addition, it may be necessary for the nutritionist to indicate a diet that is easier to swallow to avoid choking and malnutrition in the elderly. To find out how to prepare food, read: What to eat when I can't chew.

How to care for the hygiene of the elderly with mental confusion

When the elderly is confused, it is common to need help to do their hygiene, such as bathing, dressing, or combing for example, because, in addition to forgetting to take care of themselves, being able to walk dirty, they stop recognize the function of objects and how each task is done.

Thus, for the patient to remain clean and comfortable, it is important to help him in his accomplishment, showing how it is done so that he can repeat and involving him in the tasks, so that this moment does not cause confusion and generates aggression.

In some cases, as in advanced Alzheimer's disease, the elderly are no longer able to collaborate and, in such cases, they must be the family member to treat the elderly. See how it can be done in: How to care for a bedridden person.

What to do when the elderly is aggressive

Aggressiveness is a characteristic of the elderly who is confused, manifesting itself through verbal threats, physical violence and destruction of objects, being able to hurt themselves or others.

Generally, aggressiveness arises because the patient does not understand the orders and does not recognize people and when he is contradicted, he becomes agitated and aggressive. At these times, the caregiver must remain calm, looking for:

Do not argue or criticize the elderly, devaluing the situation and speaking calmly; Do not touch the person, even if it is to affection, because it can hurt; Do not show fear or anxiety when the elderly is aggressive; Avoid giving orders, even if simple during that moment; remove objects that can be thrown from the patient's proximity; change the subject and encourage the patient to do something he likes, such as reading the newspaper, for example, in order to forget what caused the aggression.

Generally, the moments of aggression are quick and transient and, normally, the patient does not remember the event, and at the end of a few seconds he can behave normally.