Talking to Your Kids About Dementia

When your loved one is diagnosed with a dementia-related illness, it can mean big changes for you and your family. This is especially true if you are in the role of deciding your loved one's care. It is very easy to get caught up in the diagnosis and treatment of dementia. That, piled on to deciding where your loved on is going to live and who is going to care for him or her can be even more stressful. Many times, young people can get lost in the shuffle.

Even if they don't seem to show it, young people can be just as affected as caregiving adults by a loved one's dementia diagnosis. What can make it harder for them is that many times they do not understand the changes that are happening to their loved one mentally when they see no physical change on the outside.

Here are three of the first tips that we would offer a caregiver who wants to talk to a young person about a dementia-related illness. To continue the conversation, feel free to contact us--we would love to sit down with you and talk more about this topic.

Talk About Feelings

According to the Alzheimer's Society, young people can experience a number of feelings related to a loved one having dementia. Those feelings can include: grief, sadness, anxiety, fear, embarrassment, confusion, anger, guilt, and even boredom.

It's important to know that even if you feel that your child is taking everything in stride, you should still address the situation and engage in healthy conversation. This would be a good opportunity to talk about how you both can care for your elderly loved one--both individually and as a team.

The Alzheimer's Society recommends that "[a young person's involvement in care and stimulation for the person with dementia] will help make the situation seem more normal for them, and will prevent them from feeling left out. However, don't give them too much responsibility ... it's important that they continue with their normal lives."

Keep Them Involved

Try to include your child when doing basic tasks related to the care of your loved one. A task as simple as pouring a drink or grabbing a cup of yogurt from the fridge can help your child feel involved and important without putting too much pressure on him or her.

As you are learning what upsets or confuses your loved one, be sure to talk to your child about the symptoms to help him or her understand how to react in a situation. Be sure to let them know how much their interaction benefits your loved one and how negative responses are not anyone's fault.

Learn Together

Odds are, you child may not understand much about dementia. To help avoid some of the confusion and fear that some children experience when faced with a dementia-related illness, check out the resources below.

Watch some of the videos, like the ones provided by the Alzheimer's Association, or read one of the books together. Afterward, talk about what you learned from the resource and see if your child has any questions.