About 10,000 people in the state suffer from dementia. A woman from Salzburg “learned” to remain calm in difficult situations with her sick family member during a consultation.
Whenever he called me, I always felt like I had to go to him right away,” says Annette Will. Something could have happened to her demented relative, whose identity she does not want to comment on. For two years, the woman from Salzburg took care of him in the evenings after the nurse left. Because it was no longer possible to do it alone.
Fortunately, she soon got rid of the excitement she felt every time the phone rang. Will wanted to know what was going to happen: ‘My relative lived in another world. That’s why I went to dementia counseling. Since then I have dealt with difficult situations more calmly. That was very good for me and my family members.”
Counseling takes the pressure off families
Like Annette Will, 756 Salzburg residents heard last year how they can support their relatives with dementia through Diakonie’s dementia advice service, which was founded in 2013. Head Ulrich Gsenger says tomorrow on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day: “The numbers are rising sharply, the number of unreported cases is high. If families and sick people are informed at an early stage about what to expect, it takes a lot of pressure off.”
Because the children or spouses who care for them are particularly burdened. Due to the shortage of nursing staff, there are currently too few respite offers for them. “That’s why we increasingly see family members who are completely exhausted,” says Gsenger.
Tips for family members
His colleague, psychologist Eva Siller, gives tips during the consultation (see box). It is important to gain knowledge. This makes it easier to deal with family members who increasingly live in their own universe due to the breakdown of their brain matter. According to Ulrich Gsenger, it is also good to know: “Many of those affected become disoriented but happy people.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
