Caregivers discuss dementia myths
The day was dedicated to educating the elderly and their families about dementia, mental illness, mental health, home based care and also offered advice on how to support an affected loved one.
WENTWORTH Caregivers’ Support Group (WCSG) hosted its third annual Dementia Awareness campaign at John Dunn House on Saturday, 26 October.
The day was dedicated to educating the elderly and their families about dementia, mental illness, mental health, home based care and also offered advice on how to support an affected loved one. Dementia is an overall term for diseases and conditions characterised by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills that affect a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Memory loss is an example. Trained healthcare provider, Fortune Nkosi from the Bessie Makatini Foundation (BMF) defined, discussed and debunked myths concerning dementia with attendees.
“We work with people living with dementia and also the elderly with mental health problems. Our aim is to improve their quality of life by supporting the families and carers who look after them at home. By facilitating access to essential services, we make it possible for clients to stay in their home as long as possible before they enter into hospice or hospital for professional palliative care. Hospital beds are scarce in general and even more so for dementia or mental illness patients. There are few affordable homes for the elderly. In these homes there are even fewer places for people with dementia. Many of them will not admit a person with dementia or mental illness. So the option for many is to look after their relatives at home and that is where we come in,” he said.
Member of WCGS and The Association for the Aged (Tafta) home based care social worker, Robyn Coetzee said that there is more than 100 different types of dementia. “From the discussions held today, one has an idea about the reactions and misconceptions that people have regarding the illness and how to best manage it. Many times as a social worker I get called in to investigate abuse cases only to find that there is no actual abuse going on. By the same token however, if people don’t understand what the illness is about, they may actually feel that their mother or father who has dementia is actually being difficult with them and may, therefore, react out of sheer frustration. Home based care plays a vital role in providing aid and support in such cases. Caring for someone with dementia can be challenging and stressful. But with the right support, it can be rewarding and often satisfying,” she said.
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