Communicare Healthcare has some of the best and most highly trained care assistants and nurses in Ireland. Our Carers work round the clock, 24/7, 365 days a year, delivering the most comprehensive care service possible to our clients, ensuring that they can live happy and full lives in their own homes.

As a home care agency, we are fully aware of how rewarding it can be caring for someone with dementia, knowing that you are helping and making a real difference to someone’s standard and quality of life. However, we’re also aware that in can be quite a stressful and isolating position.

Hello Brain, a website that provides easy to understand information about brain health, have come up with ways for carers to minimise the stress that comes with caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia by helping to manage your social and emotional needs through managing how you respond to challenging behaviours.

For carers, Hello Brain contains entertaining short videos, offers top tips for brain health and a free app to use on your smartphone which they hope helps people to improve their brain health in an enjoyable yet educational manner. Hello Brain believe that it’s important for carers to take care of their own mental health first, then they can help others. Our brains thrive on positive social connections and social intimacy. Research shows that being lonely and socially isolated means we are at greater risk of depression, anxiety, dementia and age-related cognitive decline, which can affect our memory. Being able to chat with trusted friends can make us feel connected and help us to avoid loneliness. Social interaction can help tackle those feelings of loneliness and has an added bonus of boosting your health.

How can you manage challenging behaviours?

When working with someone with dementia, often they can exhibit some unusual or challenging behaviour. Hello Brain explains that it’s important not to take them personally. The disease causes the brain to malfunction in a way that can result in unusual behaviours or the person saying things that might be hurtful or seem out of character. You must always stay calm in these situations.

There can often be certain clues to challenging behaviour, or even signs of it before it even happens and as a carer you’ll have to look out for these signs. It might be something they need or want, something may be upsetting them and it may just be them expressing their frustration. As a carer, you need to know if these behaviours are a way that the person is asking for help. It may be of use to you to keep a journal to keep a track of the triggers of challenging behaviour as well as keeping track of the triggers to enjoyable encounters.

To find out more about Hello Brain, click HERE!

Below you’ll find a video from Hello Brain about dealing with challenging behaviour.

If you’re interested in working as a healthcare assistant, send your CV to recruitment@communicare.ie or to enquire about care for you or a loved one, call us now on 01 8338000.