Tag: caregiving skills for dementia care

Hallucinations in Lewy Bodies and other types of dementia

Below is a video clip from Teepa Snow, explaining how the type of hallucination dictates our response.  This video clip is the basis of this article.

Hallucinations: Visual, Verbal, Tactile

Hallucinations are common for older adults living with dementia, especially Lewy Bodies.  As carepartners, it is our responsibility to address the vision and make the care recipient more comfortable.  In order to do this, we need to understand how the person feels about their hallucination.

  • Does the person living with dementia think they are in their childhood home with their favorite dog?
  • Does the person living with dementia believe other residents are hiding in their bathroom?
  • Is someone stealing something from the client’s room?
  • Is a traumatic childhood experience resurfacing?

Our first task is to answer the following question: Does the hallucination scare our client?

If the hallucination is not scary, ask the person how they feel about the image.  Go over to the area with the older adult and look where they gaze.  Ask questions.  Listen to their responses and formulate new questions based on those answers.  Your goal is to get as many details as possible about the hallucination.

As you delve deeper, the original hallucination will disappear.  Eventually their brain will not be able to match their own verbal responses to the image “seen” by their visual sensory organs.

This is your opportunity to switch the topic.  Engage them in a new activity and move out of the original environment.  Do not mention anything that allows them to circuit back to the hallucination.

 

Hallucinations Hallucinations in Lewy Bodies and other types of dementia
In order to help, we first must understand how the hallucination makes the older adult feel.  

If the client is visibly scared by the hallucination, our approach needs to be different.

We should not ask them for more information about the image!  Instead, we need to offer them more immediate sensory input.

Those living with dementia have a heightened sensation in the palm of their hands.  They also loose the “skill” capacity in some fingers as all fingers become used for “strength”.  By using the hand-under-hand technique, you protect the care recipient and yourself, while providing reassurance.  You are able to guide their next action by retaining a grasp.

When faced with scary hallucinations, you can apply immediate and repeated pressure to their palms by pumping your palm against theirs.  This sensation feels good and will help to redirect their attention.

You will want to be on the person’s preferred side.  This is also known as their dominant side or the side in which they prefer to write.  This is important because it allows you to draw their view more easily.  The client also pays more attention to data and sound on their dominant side.

Simultaneously, you should show that you are worried!  Ensure your face and words match.  Tell and show them how worried you are about the hallucination.

Follow up with an action plan.  Now that you understand, how will you help?  What will you do to get the object to go away?  Where will the client go to be safe?  Describe your next few action steps to the care recipient.  Continue to use the hand-under-hand approach, pump their palm, and continue to look and sound concerned.

Hallucinations are not preventable for those living with Lewy Bodies dementia.  However, we can work to minimize their occurrences in other forms of dementia.  The typical triggers for hallucinations are an emotional experience from that day or week that causes the client to time travel, emotional distress, infection, and dehydration.  A hallucination may be a sign that something else is wrong physiologically with the client.

 

 

 

 

 

Understanding Alzheimer’s and other dementias: Hand Under Hand™ Approach

As dementia progresses, it is vital to appreciate the changes in a person’s ability to be able to connect. One critical element that is often missed when trying to share information is the value of changing our delivery process. Dementia care pioneer Teepa Snow developed the hand-under-hand technique, as a guiding and assisting technique that provides family members and caregivers with an amazing connection. It promotes a physical touch connection that is friendly, comforting, and successful, without being intrusive or overbearing.

 

 

 

The hand-under-hand technique also provides a system of feedback and communication between the a loved one living with dementia, and a caregiver. It uses the much practiced and automatic connection between the eye and hand to form a closed circuit between the person who is struggling to understand words and tasks and the care partner. It provides a comforting and calming human connection using a familiar grasp and proprioceptive (deep pressure) in the palm at the base of the thumb.

This eye-hand connection is one of the very first sensory-motor loops established in infants is used endlessly throughout our lives. By using the palmer surface of the hand, and taking the person through the desire motion or movement, we are communicating with touch and movement, without the need for words.

It’s also important and helpful to position yourself below the eye level of the person with dementia. By lowering yourself to their eye level and by using hand-under-hand, you will be able to accomplish your caregiving goals and form a meaningful connection in the process.

Remember: the purpose is to control the situation, not the person. Dementia care partners are in the process together: always do whatever you can to respect the independence, rights, and dignity of the person with dementia.

The use of hand-under-hand is multi-faceted:

  • It is used when greeting someone to sustain a physical connection, allowing the person to become more comfortable with your presence in their intimate space. It differs from a normal handshake that can be uncomfortable to sustain. By having a hand-under-hand rap, you will be able to tell if the person is enjoying your presence and wants you to allow them more space. If they keep trying to let go you, let go and move back further. They may need a break or may not want you in their intimate space at that moment.
  • It can be used when helping your loved one move around. It provides greater stability and support as well as a feedback loop.
  1. Since the arm is the rudder that guides the ship, by rotating the foreman outward or inward you can direct the walking path.
  2. By tipping the forearm down you can indicate physically the cue to sit down in a seat or on the bed.
  3. By tipping the forearm upward you can help the person stand upright.

When used in combination with a gesture or point, it can help provide directions and reassurance when moving through the environment in the later stages, or when in an unfamiliar setting. Because a family member or caregiver is close to the person, the awareness of balance, coordination, fear, or distress is telegraphed can be responded to in a timely manner.

  • Hand-under-hand is essential during the Amber, Ruby, and Pearl gem stages. It allows you to use their dexterity to operate the tool or utensil while your loved one is still actively participating and moving their body parts toward their body (hand to mouth, hand to chest) as they have done for their entire lives. This automatic loop allows people living with dementia a sense of both control and involvement.

Finally, it provides the care partner or family member a way to get feedback on preferences, understanding, readiness, and willingness to participate. It provides a way to do with, not to do or do for.