Dementia can do more than impact memory. It can also negatively affect visual-spatial skills. Some of the visual-spatial problems caused by dementia include wandering, the inability to recognize familiar people or objects, and difficulty doing normal activities such as driving. Learn how dementia causes these visual-spatial issues.
Degeneration of Nerve Cells and Brain Tissues
When seniors develop dementia, the progressive disorder can make it difficult to do physical tasks, such as getting in and out of bed, going up and down the stairs, or navigating various rooms inside the home as well as venues and stores they usually frequent. This issue develops as a result of the degeneration of the nerve cells and brain tissues, which disrupts depth perception. Your senior loved one may be at a higher risk of slips and falls as dementia progresses and disrupts his or her visual-spatial abilities.
Vision impairment resulting from dementia may make it difficult for seniors to complete everyday tasks on their own. If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of senior care Montgomery, AL, families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Memory Loss
Reading and writing are activities that seniors with strong visual-spatial abilities enjoy. However, aging adults living with dementia may experience difficulty reading and writing in the later stages of the condition. Dementia causes a decrease in the ability to understand the information being learned, and storing and retrieving the data becomes more difficult as the disorder progresses. However, you should continue to promote these types of hobbies by simplifying the activity based on your loved one’s abilities. For example, if your parent enjoys reading, consider purchasing audiobooks or reading materials designed for seniors with dementia.
Disrupted Brain Cell Communication
Good spatial judgment allows people to visualize things with the mind’s eye. They know where items should be kept and where those objects don’t belong. However, dementia can damage brain cells and prevent them from communicating with each other. As a result, seniors may experience visual-spatial problems such as associating images with incorrect objects, places, and people. For instance, when dementia progresses, the condition could cause your loved one to look for food in rooms where food shouldn’t be, such as the bathroom. Before the condition impacted your loved one’s visual-spatial abilities, he or she knew that food is kept in the kitchen and toiletries are stored in or near the restroom.
Caring for a senior loved one can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Montgomery Home Care Assistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care.
Side Effects of Medication
Some of the medicines seniors take to treat dementia can affect their memory and cause a decrease in spatial awareness, which is why wandering is typical behavior in older adults with dementia. They can become lost, even in familiar environments. The damage to their visual-spatial abilities caused by prescriptions makes it difficult to recognize pathways home, even routes they’ve taken for most of their lives. Seniors may also find it difficult to locate rooms in the home, such as the bathroom, in the middle of the night. Speak with your loved one’s doctor about alternative medications or drug-free treatments.
Even when families have the best intentions, caring for a senior loved one with dementia can be challenging. Fortunately, Home Care Assistance is here to help. We are a leading provider of dementia care. Montgomery families can take advantage of our flexible and customizable care plans, and our caregivers always stay up to date on the latest developments in senior care. Rely on the professionals at Home Care Assistance to provide high-quality compassionate care for your loved one. Give us a call today at (334) 593-3988 to learn about our flexible in-home dementia care plans.