There’s no way around it; managing the symptoms of dementia is challenging for both the seniors experiencing it and their loved ones. Dementia symptoms can be unpredictable and lead to big swings in good days and bad days.
This variety in symptoms, along with the stress of the disease, can sometimes cause seniors to act out or experience feelings of depression and loneliness.
Tallahassee memory care communities can help provide a comforting environment and help seniors stay active, but ultimately, there is no cure. There are, however, therapies that can help manage the disease. One type of dementia treatment is called validation therapy.
What Is Validation Therapy?
Validation therapy is not an intensive therapy but rather a way to approach seniors with understanding as they navigate dementia. It is used to comfort and reassure people who are living with the disease and help them feel safe and understood.
Validation therapy is more than listening and validating a senior’s feelings. It focuses on helping them work through the emotions they are feeling and how these emotions may be translating to behaviors.
How to Practice Validation Therapy
Validation therapy can be practiced with a specialist, but it can also be practiced by family members and caregivers. One way is to match and acknowledge feelings. You can do this by acknowledging how the senior is feeling and joining them in experiencing these feelings.
Another way is through speaking and rephrasing. Rephrasing a senior’s feelings back to them can provide reassurance that you truly understand what they are experiencing.
Does Validation Therapy Help?
Research on dementia therapy is limited, and that is true for validation therapy as well. There are limited and mixed research results on the effectiveness of this type of therapy, but it has proven helpful to some older adults.
While there’s not a definitive conclusion on the helpfulness of validation therapy, it can still be an effective tool in communicating with seniors in an effective way.
Validation Therapy in Tallahassee Memory Care
If your loved one is suffering from dementia, there are many memory care and skilled nursing facilities in Tallahassee, FL, that can provide the care they need. Working with experts can help in creating routines and experimenting with different types of treatment, including validation therapy.
With the skilled staff in a memory care community, along with effort from loved ones, seniors with dementia can live very comfortable and fulfilling lives.
