Benefits of Helping Your Loved One
Remain Active and Engaged
As we have discussed in recent months, people with dementia can tend to become very disconnected from everyday life. Further, as their interest in everyday activities declines, they can become inactive or even what you would call sedentary. This type of decline can be quite difficult and painful for families to witness. Helping your loved one with dementia remain more active and engaged can be beneficial to them in many ways. It can also help you and other family members get more enjoyment out of spending time with your loved one.
Of course, staying active is generally good for anyone, regardless of age or existing health issues. For those with dementia, keeping active is very helpful both physically and mentally. Getting your loved one to be more active, even if it’s only going out for walks, will help keep their body from breaking down faster. Particularly for people with some physical challenges, mild exercise of any type can help maintain muscle mass and bone density. Also, staying active will help maintain their metabolism and energy levels. Likewise, helping your loved one stay active and engaged can have a very positive effect on both their emotional and mental states. Even simple household activities, such as helping prepare meals, can boost their spirits and improve their overall mental state. In fact, there have been numerous studies showing that staying active and engaged can actually slow the progression of dementia.
Helping your loved one remain active and engaged will not only be beneficial to them, it will surely enhance your ability to enjoy your time together. Sometimes people with dementia can become quite passive while their loved ones are busy around them in a sea of activity. It will be better for everyone involved if you can find ways of making your loved one an active participant in your daily routines. Again, this might require quite a bit of trial and error, but finding ways to enjoy your time together will be well worth the effort.