How You Can Help a Loved One Who is Hoarding

If your loved one has dementia, there is a chance that they will develop an inclination toward hoarding. This aspect of the disease can take place whether the senior is living in a senior living environment, on their own, or under the care of a caregiver. While it’s usual for people to want to hold on to their beloved possessions, hoarding behaviors cross that line into collecting things that have no real sentimental or financial value.

Hoarding is symptomatic of mental illness such as dementia, and can lead to unsanitary conditions, physical and (further) mental impairments, isolation, loneliness, depression, etc. It can disrupt the senior’s daily life, as well as the lives of his or her caretaker, medical personnel, friends, and family.

Common hoarding characteristics include:

1. Items that the person is collecting have basically banished them from entire rooms, causing them not to be used as they were intended or once were. For example, a dining room – which in the past might have been utilized quite well for family Sunday dinners, etc., is now so overrun with items (clothing, trash, newfound possessions) that it can no longer be used for Sunday meals.
2. The person suffering from hoarding will keep things that other people don’t understand. A band aid, a piece of trash, a used paper plate, a scrap of paper with something unintelligible written on it.
3. Even though the individual wants to keep these items close by, the presence of the items aggravate the individual and cause them stress.

When it comes to people suffering from dementia, if they are going to develop hoarding characteristics it generally happens during the first or second stage. In addition to hoarding as described above, the person with dementia might also hide items and rummage through items in an effort to locate “lost” things. This only increases their disorientation, confusion, memory loss and impaired judgment.

How you can help someone who is hoarding

1. Offer to take pictures of the items that they “love” but don’t want to throw away.
2. Remove items that pose a safety or health hazard while the person is occupied with other activities.
3. Take all removed items off the premises, because the senior might rummage through the garbage looking for them.
4. Be patient and encourage the senior to “say goodbye” to items they have agreed to give to charity, etc.

Are you a senior living in the Fallston area and would like information about in home senior care in Aberdeen or about assisted living homes in Baltimore County? Contact the Always Best Care Fallston location today at 410-877-3787 to set up a free care consultation today.

Nurturing the Bond between Grandparents & Grandchildren

Many people often feel that the best part of growing older is having grandchildren. You can spoil them, love them, and then send them back home with mom and dad. Grandchildren are a way for seniors to feel immortal, and to be able to express their love to family without having to rely (too heavily) on discipline. Oftentimes, grandchildren and grandparents have a special bond that may even supersede the one between parent and child.

Research has proven that grandchildren with close ties to their grandparents often have a lower risk of depression coupled with a propensity for healthy, higher self-esteem. A tender and warm relationship with a grandparent is key. Why does this happen? Because grandparents serve as an excellent role model for their grandchildren in many different ways. They are the holders of family values, and can relay a sense of history to the grandchildren that their own parents can’t provide.

How can grandparents nurture their bond with grandchildren?

• Grandparents can take on a highly-supportive role within the family. Many grandparents watch their grandchildren after/before school, or even full-time. This gives grandparents a sense of purpose, and is beneficial to the parents as well because they don’t have to worry about the quality of their child care.
• Grandparents can pass along skills such as sewing, cooking, carpentry, etc. These are usable skills that the grandchildren can enjoy into the future, and remember their grandparents fondly while they’re in use.
• Sharing adventures with grandchildren is a great way to bond with them, as well as create memories and have the one-on-one time to talk about each other’s lives. Just a one to two day trip is all it takes to help strengthen their bond.
• Simply by being in their grandchildren’s lives, grandparents can strengthen their bond and connection. The grandchild’s recitals, games, plays, and other activities are a great place to start to let the child know that you are there for them.

Always Best Care Senior Services has been providing in-home care in Cecil County and the rest of the United States and Canada for the past 20 years. They also provide information on locating assisted living communities in Aberdeen.If you are interested in receiving a free consultation, call their local office at (410) 877-3787 today.