Many caregivers must handle the difficult situation of having a family member with a physical illness complicated by an emotional reaction that interferes with their care—think of the Alzheimer’s patient who has a heart attack, for instance. Often, the sick will lash out at their caregiver to the point of becoming aggressive. Though the family member may know what they are doing, occasionally, their behavior is a product of their illness or medication. Therefore, you need to know how to care for your family member’s physical needs and how to handle difficult emotional situations, too.
Dissociative Disorder Dissociative Disorder is another type of memory disorder that develops as a defense mechanism following some serious trauma. An individual may attempt to escape from the reality of ongoing abuse, violent attacks, disasters, or combat by mentally disconnecting their thoughts, identity, consciousness, or memories from what is real to what is not …
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Dementias The term, “Dementia,” often receives the blame for any type of condition associated with memory impairment. However, problems with memory can stem from trauma, stroke, amnesia, drug interactions, and many medical conditions unrelated to dementia or age-related senility. Furthermore, most people believe that dementia and senility are the same thing, but they’re not. Senility …
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Hallucinations Hallucinations occur with mental and physical illnesses, often due to medications, low oxygen, or trauma. Therefore, don’t assume someone has a mental health condition if they start seeing something you don’t see or hearing voices you can’t hear. Waking up within an extended dream state or with hallucinations is one symptom that …
Delusions Like hallucinations, delusions are difficult for both the caregiver and the family member to handle because they seem real. The person experiencing the delusion believes the story they tell about a situation. For example, if your family member tells you she had dinner last night in Paris with your dead Aunt who works …
Ways to Cope with Sundowning As you review the videos presented below you will discover that how you cope with sundowning behavior and the way you prevent the behavior from happening is much the same. Furthermore, as is true with all medical or mental health conditions, what works for one family may not have the …
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Approaching Someone Who Is Angry When someone with dementia or a mental illness is angry, they may not think clearly. Therefore, it is essential to use caution when approaching if they show signs of aggression. In addition, their actions may be unpredictable. Even close relatives may not recognize you and believe you are a …
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To Help Someone Who Is Depressed, You Need to Be Able to Recognize the Signs of Depression Sometimes a person gradually slips into depression without realizing how low they have sunk. As their motivation to rise above the sadness is waning, you notice changes in their appearance and behaviors. If you notice some …
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National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Tips on How to Respond Quickly If Suicide Plans Are In Process If you feel that your family member or friend has a plan in progress about how to commit suicide, you need to take immediate action to help them. Therefore, evaluate the danger to the person and …
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Myths About Suicidal Thoughts People who talk about suicide won’t really do it.Almost everyone who commits suicide has given some clue or warning in advance. So don’t ignore even an indirect reference to death or suicide. Statements like, “You’ll be sorry when I’m gone,” “I can’t see any way out” –even if someone claims …
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Why Someone has Suicidal Thoughts Most people start having suicidal thoughts when they are desperate to escape suffering that has become unbearable. The individual who chooses suicide as their only option feels self-loathing, hopelessness, and isolation. The unfortunate truth is that they can’t see any other way out of their situation other than to take …
Donna Steigleder, Healthcare to Homecare, LLC
Email: donnasteigleder@hctohomecare.com
Phone: 804-241-5350
Fax: 804-769-4695
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