7 Effective Strategies for CNAs with Dementia Patients

Dementia is a progressive disease, and around 55 million people are affected by the condition worldwide. Patients suffer from memory loss, poor problem-solving abilities, and impaired disorientation in this condition. So, if you are a certified nursing assistant who wants to learn the strategies to deal with dementia patients, this article is for you!

1. Understand the Symptoms of the Disease

To give adequate care to dementia patients, CNAs should understand the symptoms of dementia, which are;

• Memory problems, especially difficulty in remembering any recent events
• Experiencing disorientation or confusion
• Mood changes, for example, sadness or depression
• Changes in behavior like apathy or lack of interest in work
• Facing difficulty in decision-making
• Withdrawing from social activities

The disease progresses in 3 stages, which are early, middle, and late. The final stage of dementia needs palliative care. The final stage is characterized by severely impaired cognition, loss of communication skills, functional dependency, and inability to attend basic self-care activities, which can further lead to complications like pneumonia, fever, and eating difficulties.

2. Follow Proper Schedule

As a CNA, you should establish and maintain a schedule to make your patient comfortable since dementia patients struggle with consistency. You can set time for your patient's meals, medications, physical activity, and rest. Careful hand feeding is recommended in advanced dementia patients.

3. Communicate Effectively

Dementia patients usually find it challenging to understand language, which makes them anxious about it. Therefore, communicating effectively by using simple words or language is very crucial.

Try speaking slowly and clearly with short sentences. CNAs can use visual aids by showing diagrams or pictures to make their patients understand the instructions.

4. Show Empathy And Patience

One of the key strategies to deal with dementia patients as a CNA is to show empathy and patience. As dementia patients struggle to communicate their needs, they sometimes get irritated and anxious, which makes it hard to deal with them.

Therefore, to build trust and connection with your patient as a CNA, you can use a gentle tone of voice, provide reassurance, repeat instructions patiently if needed, and stay attentive to your patient's needs.

5. Ensure the Safety of the Environment

Dementia patients are usually disoriented and confused. They may also need help misjudging distance. As a CNA, you should ensure the environment is secure and clutter-free. You can offer safety devices like bed railings or bars to decrease the risk of falls or injury.

6. Manage Challenging Behaviours

Dementia patients sometimes show aggression or unnecessary wandering due to pain, anxiousness, or boredom. As a CNA, it is important to identify its triggers by keeping track of the change in attitude or behavior.

You can use de-escalation techniques on aggressive patients by shifting their concentration, validating emotions, and providing space to calm them down.

7. Encourage Activities

Engage your patients in different activities to prevent boredom and create a stimulating environment to promote positive feelings.

You can engage your patients in activities like listening to music, taking a walk, and playing group games to promote socialization and decrease feelings of sadness and isolation.

Bottom Line

Dementia is a neurological disorder that affects cognition and behavioral issues. As a CNA, it is essential to follow the aforementioned strategies to deal with dementia patients. Establish a routine, use simple language to communicate, ensure a safe environment, and provide reassurance to build trust and connection with your patient.

Video: 7 Effective Strategies for CNAs with Dementia Patients

Frequently Asked Questions

• How Can a CNA Help Someone With Dementia?

  As a CNA, you can help dementia patients by assisting them in their physical activities, taking care of their hygiene, and structuring a routine for eating, and medication. You should be attentive, as patients with significantly impaired cognition may be at risk of injury or fall due to disorientation and confusion.

• What Are the Four Rs of Dementia Care?

  The four Rs of dementia care are reassurance, reconsideration, redirection, and relaxation. As a CNA, you can consider using this strategy to deal with dementia patients. You can reassure your patient that everything is alright, assess the situation from your patient's point of view, redirect their attention to different activities, and stay calm and relaxed while dealing with your patient.

• What Are the 4 Features of Person-Centred Care for Clients With Dementia?

  The four features of person-centred care for clients with dementia are incorporating personal knowledge of dementia, engaging in various meaningful activities, prioritising the well-being of patients, and improving the connection between healthcare providers and dementia patients. PCC is a socio-psychological treatment implemented for patients who need long-term care.

• What Speeds up Dementia?

  Dementia is sped up by different health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure. Alzheimer's usually progresses slower than other types of dementia. Alzeihmers tend to progress with less speed in older people (> 65 years of age) than younger ones.

• What Triggers Dementia?

  Dementia is triggered by abnormal accumulation of proteins called amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. A rare form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia occurs in people less than 60 years of age. This type of dementia happens due to the accumulation of proteins Tau and TDP-43.