Understanding stress and distress
Understanding stress and what can cause it is a useful skill for carers to have, and can help you to manage stress better.
Understanding causes of stress and distressEmotions and behaviour
Understanding the emotional changes that people with dementia often experience can help you to develop your own resilience as a carer.
We all get frustrated when we can’t do things or when we can’t make ourselves understood. Watching someone you care about struggle is exhausting. Trying to understand why they might be feeling a certain way can help if it means you are able to identify what might be causing them stress. Lorraine Haining, Specialist Dementia Nurse, Dementia Carers Count
Understanding how emotions and behaviour are connected
Our emotions and behaviour are connected. We respond differently to situations depending on how we are feeling.
Sometimes there’s a lot of guesswork involved in working out how someone with dementia may be feeling and why. It might be that their emotions are connected to their current environment and things or people around them. Or their feelings may be linked to past experiences and relate to their internal world.
Sundowning
Sundowning is when a person with dementia may be more confused, more agitated and may behave differently from usual in the early evening.
Find out more about sundowning
Managing difficult social situations
The behavioural changes associated with dementia can sometimes result in difficult social situations.
Find out more about how to manage in difficult social situations
Meaningful activity
People with dementia can sometimes withdraw from social interactions, but there are things carers can do to help reverse this.
Find out more about how meaningful activityRead Next
Carer Support Services
Dementia carer support groups
Get the opportunity to talk with and listen to other carers, in our small, friendly dementia carer online peer support groups
Looking after yourself
Feeling guilty
Feeling guilty can have a big impact on your well-being and it’s important to practice being kinder to yourself.
Thinking and planning
Should I correct someone with dementia?
It can be hard deciding if you should correct a person with dementia. Your instinct can be to correct someone, but this can lead to confusion and distress.
