Two tips to follow if your parent has dementia and needs to go to a chiropractor

If your parent has dementia and they have developed some issues with their back that need to be treated by a chiropractor, here are a couple of practical tips that will enable you to help them when they attend their appointments.

Ask the chiropractor for a simple diagram which shows where in the body your parent might feel some post-appointment discomfort

It's a good idea to ask the chiropractor to draw or print out a simple diagram of a person and to label the areas where your parent might feel some discomfort after their appointment. It is normal for people who visit chiropractors to experience some achiness in the areas that were treated for a couple of days after their appointment. This is because chiropractors have to use a firm touch when doing certain types of chiropractic adjustments. This slight discomfort is not a sign of injury and the pain will go away without any intervention.

However, if a person with dementia experiences this discomfort the day after having chiropractic treatment and then forgets that they have had this appointment, they might feel very alarmed by the pain. In this situation, it would be helpful for you to have the aforementioned diagram on hand so that you could not only explain to your parent that they have been to the chiropractor but could also show them, with this image, that the areas they had treated correspond with the areas that now feel a little bit sore. Presenting them with this visual aid could speed up the process of calming them down if they get upset or if they don't initially believe you.

Stay in the room whilst the chiropractor treats your parent

It would probably be best to remain in the room whilst the chiropractor provides your parent with the treatment. If your parent gets confused about where they are and they are alone with the chiropractor (who they may not recognise) and are having their spine adjusted, then they might mistakenly believe they are in danger and either lash out or try to run out of the room. This might result in injury or your parent not getting to finish the chiropractic treatment they badly need.

Conversely, if you are present the entire time, you can calmly and repeatedly explain where they are and what treatment they're having throughout the appointment and can instruct the chiropractor to step back and take a break if you notice your parent getting very agitated.

To learn more, visit a chiropractor near you.