March 24, 2016
Spending time with loved ones who have dementia is important even after they fail to recognize the faces of friends and family. A survey conducted by the UK's Alzheimer's Society found that 42% of the public think there is no point in keeping up contact at this stage because their loved one won't remember the details of each interaction.
Habilitation Therapy, a comprehensive behavioral approach to caring for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD), is considered to be a best practice by the Alzheimer’s Association. Habilitation Therapy is best used for every interaction a person with ADRD has with their care partners, from the moment they rise until they fall asleep at night. It’s vital to remember that Habilitation Therapy is not Rehabilitation Therapy. Rehabilitation returns people to earlier, higher levels of functioning; such recovery simply is not possible with ADRD. Habilitation helps dementia patients use what functioning they still have at a more optimized level.
One of Habilitation Therapy’s primary goals is to create day-long positive emotional states for dementia patients. His or her capabilities, independence and morale are thoughtfully engaged in an ongoing manner to produce a state of psychological well-being.
The Alzheimer's Society maintains that family visits stimulate feelings of happiness, comfort and security. Even as dementia progresses, it is noted people with dementia can still hold an "emotional memory”. This means they continue to feel happy long after a visit or experience has occurred that they may have forgotten.
To quote the inimitable Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
