Care recipient (cr) with dementia who uses a wheelchair becomes restless and cries out when alone tired or in pain or when in noisy or unfamiliar places

Try: #crying and restless behavior may be the only way a cr lets a caregiver know that something is wrong respond to a cr’s cries by checking first on his or her physical condition #stick to a care routine that includes time in and out of the wheelchair while the cr is in the chair check periodically to make sure the cr is positioned safely and if the cr cries out from the chair see if the chair could be causing any pain or discomfort check the belt cushion and foot rests for safety make sure the chair is dry even with highly padded cushions a cr needs to shift positions and take breaks from sitting in the chair restlessness may be a sign of back pain pressure building on thighs and legs or general discomfort from sitting too long #limit loud noises as much as possible #keep an activity bag on hand at home and away fill the bag with items that can soothe amuse interest or distract the cr include a small memory book portable music player favorite books or magazines the cr can look at or have read and a familiar soft sweater or lap quilt also include picture cards with interesting images and colors #make picture cards by cutting pictures of things you think the cr will enjoy looking at out of magazines and pasting them onto index cards to make the cards very attractive use scrapbook scissors to cut the pictures out and paste them on to heavy paper you can have pre-cut at a copy shop #remember that the cr may no longer be interested in images related to previous work or hobbies if dementia is advancing images with cultural symbolism such as those of weddings farms transport vehicles families and objects such as buttons doors tools or clothes may have more meaning to a cr than specific people or belongings related to the cr #an activity bag may be useful but just as important is a caregiver who is attentive and responds when an environment is becoming stressful to a cr

Materials: Activity bag shoulder bag or knapsack caregiver can easily carry memory book of family photos cr’s favorite music portable music player picture cards cr’s favorite books or magazines familiar soft sweater or lap quilt

Categories: Behavior Challenging, Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Social, Mobility, Needs Much Assistance, Immobile, Independence, Maximum Supervision, Vision, Good Vision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, Poor S T Memory

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*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

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