In addition to the more visible symptoms and signs of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, many people with these diseases also suffer from stress and agitation. It can be very distressing for family members to see their parent or spouse this way and it can leave loved ones feeling helpless.
For a number of years, there has been an alternative therapy that has been tried and found, for the most part, to be helpful in calming those with Alzheimer's or dementia. That method is called Doll Therapy.
By giving an Alzheimer's or dementia patient a baby doll to take care of, it can provide many positive results. For example:
- it allows the patient to self-soothe while caring for the doll.
- it can bring back happy memories of when the patient cared for their own children.
- it can reduce feelings of sadness and loneliness when the patient can focus on taking care of the doll.
- it may improve the patient's demeanor and mood.
- it brings the sensation of touch and the experience of comfort to the patient.
Because anecdotal data suggests that the patients who have been given the dolls believe that the dolls are real babies and care for them as such by trying to feed them and changing their clothes, many assisted living facilities have encouraged Doll Therapy for their patients in their memory care units.
Beth Sholom, Owner/Executive Director of Right at Home of Central New Jersey has been providing baby dolls to the families of her Alzheimer's and dementia clients for 15 years and her own experience is that is has been a very effective and calming therapy for them. With the baby dolls, she also provides a custom Right at Home bib, making sure that the bibs have velcro closures to make it easy for people who may have dexterity issues to remove them.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or dementia and you need help or have questions, please call Beth Sholom at 732-967-0900 to let us know how we can help you. Our Right Alzheimer's Disease Specialty Program can help keep your family members safe at home and provide peace of mind to you. We provide care from a few hours a day to overnight shifts to live-in care. We'll work with you to come up with the best plan for your family and always be available 24/7 to help. We care for your family as we would for our own!
About Right at Home of Central New Jersey – Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and disabled adults who want to continue to live independently. The Right at Home of Central New Jersey office is a locally owned and operated franchise office of Right at Home, Inc., serving the communities of Middlesex and Northern Monmouth Counties.
For more information, contact Right at Home of Central New Jersey at:
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