Dementia Caregivers: Understanding Behavioral Changes With Dementia & How to Respond by Bobbi Carducci


Dementia Caregivers: Understanding Behavioral Changes With Dementia & How to Respond

People with dementia don't have our sense of time and place and often they have gone back in time to when they were busy juggling a job and raising a family. They have things to do and we are stopping them. It is up to us, the caregivers, to figure out what their behavior is telling us, as their words cannot. Ask where he or she is going or what they need to do. Often when we know that we can figure out how to respond.

  • Going to Work: Tell him or her it's the weekend or a holiday then ask about the job. 
  • Household Chores: Perhaps your loved one wants to clean house or do the laundry. Give her or him a simple task to do like folding towels or dusting.
  • Activities: Find an activity he or she can do. Coloring, playing cards (even if they don't know the rules anymore), putting together a simple puzzle.

How would you feel if you had to sit all day doing nothing?

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Tribe
This is so helpful
Kathy Ast
Thank you for this post - great advice! I think too many people think they have to correct the person or challenge them, but it only makes the person with dementia angry or upset. Thanks so much for the tips.
Bobbi Carducci
Kathy and Tribe, Thank you for commenting.
You are correct, some caregivers hope they can bring their loved one back to the present. It is so hard for both parties when this occurs. It is up to us to go where they are. This is why I share tips and speak on caregiver issues as often as I can.
Kimberly Chu
Thank you so much for your tips, I try really hard to keep my mom engaged but as she declines it’s getting harder to. Thank you for sharing.

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