Have you ever stopped to think about the influence of a dementia diagnosis on the family? This is an extremely difficult situation and one that is unfortunately becoming more and more common.
In recent years life expectancy has increased considerably: we live longer and with better quality, of course this is positive, but it also means that a number of health problems have arisen that had not arisen before.
- I’m talking about dementia.
- The passage of time leads.
- In some cases.
- To a deterioration of the cognitive level that makes it increasingly difficult for the person who suffers from it to be left alone; in fact.
- It is the main cause of dependence in developed countries.
- Affect the family?.
“Dementia is like a moment of doubt when I wouldn’t know whether to trust my eyes or my memory, because they both seem able to make the same insidious mistakes. “- John Katzenbach-
In all families there are pockets of conflict on a day-to-day that resolve better or worse, depending on the ability of their members to solve problems, the fact is that when there is a member with dementia in the family, these causes of discussion and increased tension.
Dementia involves the onset of several causes of stress that did not occur before; first, there is often a lack of information about the disease; in addition, it is difficult to determine how it will evolve, which creates great uncertainty in the family. Members.
“Dementia corrodes the patient’s mind and, in turn, destroys the feelings of those who love and care for him. “- Nolasc Acaron Tusell-
On the other hand, the care a person with dementia needs usually involves significant financial costs, as they may need to hire people to support themselves, take them to a day care center, or place them in an older adult’s residence. there is not much time available to care for other family members.
In addition, there are disagreements about who should care for the person with dementia, and some may also feel that others are not making the right decisions or are not looking after their own interests.
Now that we know the origins of the conflict, we need to know why they are not resolved to learn how to do so, blocking communication between different family members is the main reason why it is difficult to find an alternative that satisfies everyone.
This blockage makes it difficult for some family members to express how they feel and think about dementia. There may also be fear of asking others for help in the event of an argument.
On the other hand, children may have struggled in the past with the person who is now sick, which can lead to guilt and react more aggressively to other family members, finally, some kind of competition between siblings may seem to show who is the best caregiver.
Having a person with dementia in the family will be a complex situation for everyone, but it is possible to minimize the emergence of the conflicts that we have just explained, for this it is important to change all these harmful dynamics that influence the process.
In this line, it is vitally important to work communication, being able to express our emotions and opinions about the disease will help us to solve the different struggles, on the other hand, we must not forget that it will be easier the more the family will be united and will be greater support and commitment among its various members is important.
? Ask for a hand to shake yours, a heart to take care of yours, and a mind to think about it when you can’t; someone to protect you on your journey through the dangerous meanders of the maze. ?- Diana Friel
In addition, being able to flexibly adapt to changes in roles and routines that may occur leads to better support in care, finally, it is important to be able to make decisions in a focused way, all of which will help the family to adapt better to dementia and suffer less from it.
Images courtesy of Cristian Newman, Tiago Muraro and Alex Boyd.