Four Steps for Introducing Doll Therapy to Your Senior

By Andy Niska | July 16, 2019 |

Home Care Liberty Lake, WA: Doll Therapy and Seniors

Very often seniors with dementia are anxious and upset. One therapy that has had some success is called doll therapy. It’s a type of therapy that involves giving your senior a realistic baby doll that she can hold, take care of, and grow to love.

This Might or Might Not Work

Doll therapy doesn’t work for every senior with dementia. Your senior might be unnerved by a realistic doll or she might feel that this is something that she needs to take care of on a daily basis. The key is going to be letting her approach this experience on her own time and in her own way.

Don’t Use a Doll that Makes Noises

One factor to keep in mind is that if you choose a doll that makes noises, that can be very upsetting for your senior. Many aging adults with dementia find that loud noises or unsettling noises, like a baby crying, is disturbing. Avoid that problem entirely by making sure that the doll you choose is realistic, but not so realistic that it makes noises. That’s going to help you avert a meltdown.

Refer to it as a Baby, not as a Doll

When you talk about the doll, don’t call it a doll. Make sure that you refer to it as a baby or by name. This can help your elderly family member to look at the doll as something that she can take care of and that has a personality of its own. This step can help her to form a bond with the doll and that makes a big difference in what doll therapy can do for your senior.

Give Your Senior Time to Adjust

This may not be something that your elderly family member warms up to overnight. She may need more time than you expect in order to get to know and to like the doll that you’ve chosen. If possible, you might want to give her a choice between two different dolls. This helps your aging family member to feel more in control of what’s happening, which is always powerful for dementia patients.

Doll therapy can help your elderly family member to be calmer and less anxious, especially if you’re not able to be with her as often as you’d like. This can even help her to be calmer when she interacts with others in her life, like home care providers. Your senior might be more likely to allow them to help her than she was before using the doll.

Excerpt: Doll therapy can be incredibly helpful for seniors with dementia, but you do need to introduce it properly.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Liberty Lake , WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509)474-0663.

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.