3 Tips For Helping A Loved One Cope With Memory Loss

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3 Tips For Helping A Loved One Cope With Memory Loss

Memory loss is something that can impact people at any age. While most people start to experience memory loss as they get older and need to have more specialized care, people can also have memory loss if they have injured their brain or have other medical issues.

When you’re trying to love and care for someone whose memory is failing them, this can be an incredibly hard thing to witness and help them work through. But with the right mindset and care plan, you can help them have the best possible life while dealing with this. To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for helping a loved one cope with memory loss.

Do Your Best Not To Get Frustrated

When a person is experiencing memory loss, it’s very common for them to forget things that have been told to them very recently. This can result in them having to ask clarifying questions over and over again.

While this can be frustrating for everyone involved, one thing that can help you to get through this challenge is to try your best not to get too frustrated when this happens. Try to remember that your loved one isn’t doing this on purpose. And when you think about how frustrated you can get when answering the same things over and over again or having to re-explain things for the eighth time, try to think back on when this person was patient with you in the past.

Constantly Adjust Your Expectations

Once memory loss starts taking place, it’s very likely that things won’t ever see an improvement. Rather, their memory loss will likely just keep getting more and more apparent.

Knowing this, it’s important that you always adjust your expectations for what your loved one is able to do. Finding the balance between what they can do now and what you need to help with can be a challenge. But if you’re able to constantly adjust your expectations to allow for a reasonable amount of autonomy while also being a solid support system, both you and your loved one can feel empowered in this situation.

Discuss Plans For The Future

Because your loved one likely won’t be able to start getting their memory back if they are having age-related memory issues, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll plan for the future together while your loved one still has some lucid moments. If your loved one doesn’t already have a living will in place, consider going through this process with them so that you can be made aware of their wishes and give them the care they want and need as their disease progresses.

If you have a loved one that’s having memory-related issues, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to support and care for this person during these difficult times.