The primary technique you need to be a good dementia caretaker is to have the ability to offer physical care. In case you work in a care center or you provide personalized one on one services, the type of care you will provide will be determined by the stage of the disease. In the early stages of the dementia disease stage, you will be required to undertake some executive functions, for instance getting the schedule of the day ready for the patient, preparing their meals and making sure they can walk from one point to another. But as the condition develops, you will be required to offer basic services to the patient. It is not rare seeing a caretaker dressing their dementia patients, helping them eat or changing their adult diapers. Contingent upon where you work and your training level, you might be asked to give shots or other nurse-level care. If the patient gets hurt, you need to be able to give the basic first aid as you wait for more help. It is important to note that if you are an individual who fears bodily fluid, then dementia caregiving is not a career you need to pursue.
The second skill you need to have when you want to be a good dementia caretaker is to have efficient communication skills. It is important to note that as a caretaker you represent your client and communicate on their behalf on various communication stages. If the family is far away, you can be given the legal right to dictate the medical services and needs to be given to the patient. It is important to note that you need to monitor the symptoms of the patient and report them to the medical team. As a caretaker, you need to know how to communicate depressing and sad news to the friend and relatives of the patient. In most cases, it is the caretaker that notices that the individual has died. Communicating with friends and the family after the dementia patient has died is always a difficult task. There are various dos and don’ts, plus the HIPPA regulations to follow. It is important to note that your training will give you more details.
The third skill you need to have to be an effective dementia caretaker is to have medical knowledge. It is important to note that it is not a must that you have a degree in nursing for you to be a caretaker of a patient having dementia disorder but some medical understanding is vital. You need to have a medical idea of what dementia is and how it develops. An individual should also be capable of knowing the various medications of dementia.