what is dementiadementia refers to a global decline in cognitive capacities to such an extent that the daily living is greatly affected dementia includes but is not restricted to memory loss other capacities compromised are language communication skills perception judgement and reasoning dementia can be either reversible or irreversible reversible dementia has an acute onset and can be cured by treating the cause irreversible dementia has a more prolonged onset and doesnt have a cure although efforts can be made to manage it alzheimers is the major cause for irreversible dementia there is no one way to prevent dementia but one can certainly aim at eliminating the risk factors help guide elaborates on 6 pillars of a healthy brainbody 1regular exercise 2healthy diet 3mental stimulation 4quality sleep 5stress management 6an active social lifedevelop a routine a routine is important as it also acts as an aid for orienting the elderly doaway with distractions eliminate all distractions from the environment it is important to make their living place elderlyproofbear a positive demeanour when communicating with the elderly be careful of your tone and body language attempt to make them feel comfortable and lovedclear communication say exactly what you mean a person with dementia will most have compromised capacities of abstract thinking and hence maybe unable to decipher even the most common metaphorsprovide choices try to restrict openended questions provide choices when you ask a question did you like the rafi or ghulam ali works better than which was your favourite music band it is important to provide them with memory cues it makes conversation less stressfulbe observant it is important to take cues from their body language as they may not always be able to communicate what they are feelingbe helpful but not judgemental it is common for the elderly to be unable to recall a sentence or a word be patient you may suggest but do so nonjudgementallydemonstrate when providing them with instructions also demonstrate as you speak this aids better comprehensionmake the environment dementiafriendly get a digital clock instead of an analogue one a calender where the date can be marked put up a family chart with pictures etc these simple changes go a long way in aiding the memorydelve into pastinterests fish out your grandfathers favourite songs and play them for him or read him books by his favourite authorgames are great try engaging the elderly in board games cardgames even computer games if theyre comfortable even the ageold xs and os is a great way to stimulate the brain and jogs quite a few cognitive capacitiespictures and videos browse through old family albums and videos most people with dementia still have their longterm memory more or less intact hence this wont be stressful but will provide the much needed jog for their memorywatch out for stress do keep an eye out for any stress that they experience and try to eliminate ittrain the staff sometimes the elderly might require staff to assist them in their