Does Your Dad Have Alzheimer’s?
4 Questions About Behavior Related To Alzheimer's
What to look for and how to ask question about your aging parentsWe found these important questions on DailyCaring.com that are related to Alzheimer’s. We often get asked if a patient may have Alzheimer’s and we find the answers to these questions to be very common among those who have a loved one with Dementia or Alzheimer's. These questions and answers have important information on how to deal with common concerns:
1. My Dad behaves so differently now. I feel like I don’t know who they are.
How can I connect with her?
Dementia may change behavior, speech, and interactions, but a person’s identity doesn’t change. Find new ways to connect with them, like listening to their favorite music, looking at photos of life accomplishments, or enjoying simplified versions of previous hobbies and interests.
2. I don’t understand my Dad’s behavior. She is doing things that are frustrating me because she could get hurt. How can I make her stop?
One family we worked with was frustrated by their mom’s constant pacing in the house. They had to follow her around to keep her from falling or hurting herself. Constantly following her was exhausting for the family and wasn’t solving the problem. What did help is finding the reason and emotion behind the behavior. In this case, their mom needed a purpose or a task to keep her occupied and reduce her need to pace. Because she could no longer structure activities for herself, we worked with the family to adapt some of her favorite activities so she could still participate in normal household activities. Because her family found activities that kept her engaged, their mom’s need to pace was significantly reduced. Important: Instead of telling a person with dementia what not to do, tell them what to do. Give clear instructions and modify previous hobbies or interests to fit their current ability level.
3. How do I get my dad to stop refusing food and help with necessary tasks?
The short answer is that you can’t force her. It’s important to remember that a person with dementia isn’t a child, so as tempting as it may seem to order them to eat their dinner, it won’t work and will likely make them more resistant. When someone with dementia refuses to do something, you’ll need to play detective and find out if there’s a valid reason behind their refusal one they aren’t able to communicate.Often, refusal comes from fear or physical discomfort. If you can find the reason, you’re well on your way to solving the problem.
For example, if someone refuses a meal, it could be because they:
- Need to use the bathroom.
- Are feeling full from an earlier snack or beverage.
- Don’t know how to get started eating – too many choices of foods or utensils can be confusing.
- Can’t see the food well enough – make sure there’s a strong contrast between the food and the plate, like red tomatoes on a white plate.
4. My dad says she’s afraid of things that clearly aren’t real. How can I soothe her?
The first thing to do is to treat everything she’s saying as if it were real because it is real for her.
Her reality is no longer the same as yours, so it’s important that you adapt. Contradicting her or trying to use reason to explain away the fear will only make her more scared or agitated.
After calmly agreeing with her, try to distract her with pleasant thoughts or activities.
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Source: https://dailycaring.com/difficult-alzheimers-behavior-dementia-experts-answer-4-top-questions
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