WICHITA FALLS Care givers and family members should use understanding and compassion to connect and effectively communicate with elderly people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, said Naomi Feil, a nationally-known health care professional.
Feil addressed the recent “Breaking Through the Barrier of Alzheimer’s disease” seminar sponsored by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The seminar presented new perspectives on gerontology to care givers, health and human service workers and others who regularly deal with the elderly.
“The very-old elderly often loosen their control of strong emotions they have kept bottled up inside,” said Feil, creator of Validation Therapy, “When these people emote strongly and loudly, they are unpacking’ these buried emotions and seeking resolution. Hate, love, passion, jealousy, etc. come spilling out after they are triggered by a symbol such as person, thing or situation.
“We must validate their need to resolve these emotions by listening compassionately, by acting as sounding boards and by treating them with respect. We respect their struggle to resolve past, often painful issues, and in doing so we help them reduce stress and enhance their dignity and happiness as they face their last journey in life. By venting these emotions, they are in a sense unpacking before their last journey.”
The elderly can pass through four distinct stages mal-orientation, time confusion, repetitive motion and vegetation (a non-responsive vegetative state) during their resolution struggles. Guiding them toward successful resolution before vegetation occurs is a chief goal of validation, Feil noted.
“Emotional health is as important as mental or physical health, and we know that one readily affects the others. By helping them achieve resolution, we can prevent vegetation, enable them to stay in their own home longer, reduce their dependence on medication and bring out the life wisdom they have to share with us,” she said.
“We cannot heal their dementia, but we can use verbal and nonverbal validation to build and continue an honest relationship with them a relationship that improves their quality of life on several levels.”
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, and is characterized by a progressive loss of short-term memory and independent functioning, said Dr. Carol Rice, Extension health specialist and associate professor of public health with Texas A&M’s Health Science Center School of Rural Health.
Alzheimer’s shrinks the brain and scars the brain with abnormal proteins that destroy or block the brain’s synapses, the specialist said.
“Early Alzheimer’s, which is characterized by abnormal forgetfulness, can last from two to four years. The second stage can last from two to 20 years, and the terminal stage often lasts only one to three years,” Rice said. “In the first two stages, those affected will lose belongings, get lost easily, let their bills and finances lapse, forget how to perform simple tasks such as writing a check, neglect their personal hygiene, engage in repetitive behavior (a coping mechanism), and eventually lose their grasp and memory of recent events.
“After this type of behavior is confirmed, families have to have their loved one properly diagnosed to rule out other medical conditions. The diagnosis must be accurate and thorough, based on the person’s medical and family history, sound physical, neurologic and psychiatric exams, mental status evaluations and lab tests.”
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are several maintenance medications available to lessen its effects. There also are preventative measures that can lessen the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, she said.
“Regular exercise, daily use of non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxin and indocin, and a diet high in vitamin E and anti-oxidants are recognized as good preventatives,” Rice said. “It’s also important to stay mentally fit, and to control treatable medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. These preventative measures are particularly important for those whose families have a history of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.”
More information on Alzheimer’s disease, and on Validation Therapy is available on the Internet at: http://www.vfvalidation.org and http://www.mayohealth.org.
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