Dementia Patient Spends Extended Periods on Bench: Appropriate Behavior or Cause for Concern?
Improving the Lives of Dementia Patients: Creative Approaches to Care
Dementia, a brain condition that affects memory, thinking, and behavior, can often leave patients feeling lost and confused. However, understanding their unique needs and adapting our care strategies can significantly improve their quality of life.
One common behavior observed in dementia patients is sitting on benches for extended periods. This behavior often serves as a form of self-soothing or coping mechanism, as it can help dementia patients deal with stress, overstimulation, or unmet needs that they struggle to communicate verbally. Sitting quietly can also result from cognitive fatigue or a need to rest, as their brains work harder to process everyday activities, leading to mental exhaustion, especially later in the day.
To improve their quality of life when you notice this behavior, consider the following approaches:
- Observe for underlying needs or discomfort: Restlessness, repetitive movements, or prolonged sitting may signal pain, fatigue, confusion, or emotional distress. Look for non-verbal cues such as rubbing a body part, facial expressions, or changes in appetite.
- Provide a calm and supportive environment: Minimize overstimulation and noise, which can increase anxiety or agitation. Gentle sensory stimulation like hand massage, aromatherapy, or familiar activities (folding clothes, sorting buttons) can help soothe them.
- Engage in tailored, meaningful activities: Activities designed around their abilities and interests—such as music therapy, puzzles, storytelling, or gentle exercise—help maintain cognitive function and reduce isolation or depression.
- Maintain safety during wandering or inactivity: Sitting on benches for long periods might also relate to wandering behaviors or disorientation. If you observe this, gently redirect or accompany them to safe, familiar, and engaging places to avoid risks.
- Practice patience and reassurance: Because dementia impairs communication, repeated questions or sitting still might be their way of seeking comfort or trying to understand their surroundings. Respond calmly and provide reassurance without confrontation.
If you are a caregiver or family member, learning specialized responses and communication strategies through dementia support programs or memory care resources can further enhance care quality and emotional support for the person affected.
In addition to these strategies, there are several ways to make the environment more enjoyable for dementia patients:
- Customizing their bench-sitting experience: By catering to their interests, such as offering to take them to pick up their preferred meals or snacks, or placing a table near a bench where they can occasionally enjoy their meals outdoors, can make their experience more enjoyable.
- Providing entertainment: Offering reading material, a portable radio, music player, or a small portable TV can be entertaining options for dementia patients.
- Encouraging movement: Encouraging movement is essential to maintain the physical health of dementia patients. In Holland, there's a nursing home designed as a village, complete with restaurants, beauty parlors, and a grocery store, giving residents with dementia the feeling of independent living.
- Engaging with the world: Inviting a dementia patient to join when running errands or going outside can provide them with an opportunity to engage with the world.
The unique perspectives, stories, and wisdom of dementia patients can be enlightening and heartwarming. By taking the time to engage and provide care in creative ways, we can create a more compassionate and enriched environment for dementia patients. Understanding a dementia patient's preferences and making their environment more enjoyable can enhance their quality of life.
- To support the mental and health-and-wellness of dementia patients, it's crucial to take innovative approaches to care that cater to their unique preferences, such as customizing their bench-sitting experience or providing entertainment, like reading material or a music player.
- Science continues to guide us in finding novel ways to improve dementia care, and mental-health support programs can equip caregivers and family members with specialized strategies, fostering an environment that respects and enhances the quality of life for dementia patients, cultivating joy, engagement, and emotional well-being.
