Dementia Patient Keeps Saying Same Words Over Again

What to Do When a Senior Repeats the Aforementioned Things Over and Over

One sign of the aging brain is repeating things more than frequently, especially stories and questions. In that location are reasons for this that are not related to progressive weather similar dementia, but in either example, repetition tin get old very quickly. Even the most experienced and patient family caregivers occasionally struggle to hide their frustration. While there is no piece of cake fix for this trying side outcome of aging, a change in attitude and some proven strategies tin can aid you lot continue your cool and preserve your loved one's dignity.

On Aging and Existence Repetitive

As we age, our perspective on life changes. There'due south a human need to make sense of what has happened in i'southward past and to contemplate what one's legacy will be. Added years requite u.s. a chance to reflect on our past from a altitude and provide a unique point of view that merely elders can fully understand and capeesh. Recounting old stories is ane way that many seniors piece of work through this process. Sharing experiences with those we beloved helps united states derive significant from our successes, failures, joys and hardships. This is also the way countless generations accept secured their legacy—past passing down lessons learned and words of wisdom.

If an crumbling loved i retells the same stories every at present and then, and you think to yourself, "I've heard that a hundred times!" please have the patience to let them proceed. They may be working through the past to detect a sense of pregnant. Whether it'southward consciously or unconsciously, elders often want to figure out how these events shaped their present and will play into their time to come.

When family unit members and friends understand the importance of an elder retelling personal stories, they tend to be more tolerant of the repetition. Furthermore, it'south important to realize that just because an elderberry repeats some things doesn't necessarily hateful they have dementia. Their minds may not be equally sharp or fast every bit they used to be, but some rumination and forgetfulness isn't unusual in elders.

Coping with Repetition Acquired by Dementia

According to the Alzheimer'due south Association repetition is common in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer'south or dementia, oftentimes in clan with a person's want to seek comfort or security. My heart goes out to the many family unit caregivers who must listen to the same statement, question or story 20 times in one hour considering a parent or spouse has some form of dementia. Brusk-term retentivity loss makes it impossible for dementia patients to recollect what they just said, so they say it again and again and again. Anyone who has been in this situation volition tell you that in that location's a limit to how many times y'all tin muster a genuine response. It's enough to drive a person mad. So, what can dementia caregivers do nearly these seemingly countless loops?

Practice Understanding

Try to understand that your loved ane isn't repeating stories or questions to irritate you lot. Your loved one's brain is damaged, and they can't recollect asking you what fourth dimension their doc'due south appointment is at or telling you that they need more than tissues at the grocery store, and so these things happen over and over once more. If you understand the reason behind repetitive behavior, you will probable notice yous can better command your irritation and be more than patient.

I rarely advise comparing elders and children because I feel that besides much of this can skew our thinking, but in this instance, it tin be enlightening. Rather than using this comparison to justify treating a senior like a child, use information technology to modify your mental attitude and expectations. Children repeat things often to better grasp and memorize new information. Well-nigh people are very agreement of this learning process and children'south express capabilities. Seniors with dementia may exist repeating words and behaviors in their own quest to grasp or empathize information.

We have more patience for younger individuals considering they are growing mentally and we know that their questions and i-track statements will eventually wane. Information technology follows then that we feel that this behavior is inappropriate for seniors who have amassed decades of noesis and experience. All the same, the truth is that dementia patients' worlds do not make sense. Repetition may be an effort to process information, understand stimuli, or limited a business. Information technology'due south probable that dementia behaviors such as repetition get worse over fourth dimension, so mastering empathy and self-control is paramount for dementia caregivers.

How to Deal with Repetition and Dementia

Dementia can cause patients to say and believe some pretty incredulous things, and many caregivers struggle with how to handle them properly. Depending on how a caregiver reacts, a patient may become fearful, paranoid, depressed, angry or even vehement. Navigating these situations is particularly difficult and takes a great bargain of practice, but there are three specific techniques that are recommended for coping with hard dementia behaviors: validation, distraction and redirection. On their own, these strategies are useful, but when a caregiver can learn to utilise them all together, information technology's a gamechanger.

The Validation Method for Dementia Patients

Validation just refers to hearing out what a person is saying or feeling and responding in a supportive and compassionate fashion. Rather than reorienting a patient to reality or refuting their warped perception of things, you acknowledge their version and gently dispel any anxiety or discomfort they may be experiencing.

For instance, if your loved ane says the grass in the front end yard is bluish, what does it injure if you hold with this statement rather than debate that it's really green? An appropriate validating response might be, "Yes, it does wait kind of bluish from this bending." Acquiescing doesn't affect anyone negatively and your elder doesn't finish up feeling like they're always wrong. But keep in heed that validation is not tantamount to shrugging off the things a intendance recipient says.

Validation ordinarily works, but Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are unpredictable atmospheric condition. Aught always works 100 per centum of the time. It becomes more difficult to practice validation when an elder's thoughts are causing a dandy bargain of anxiety or agitation. For instance, during a sure stretch of my dad'due south dementia, he thought there was a state of war taking place in our town because he'd seen news footage of a foreign conflict on Tv. I had one heck of a time handling this persistent delusion. I obviously couldn't just concur with him and say there was a war here, considering he was frightened. Instead, I entered his version of reality, acknowledged his concerns, explained that the violence was not taking place in our firsthand area and assured him of his safety. I promised him that I wouldn't allow anything happen to him. Eventually, he let it go. In these scenarios, we caregivers end upwards repeating ourselves, too, which can be exasperating. But we practice what nosotros must to keep our loved ones calm and content.

Lark from Repetitive Thoughts

The adjacent step is to endeavour to distract your loved ane. After the second or third repetition, try irresolute the topic of give-and-take. Mention their grandchildren and what they have been upwardly to. Talk about an old friend who has washed something interesting recently. Utilise annihilation you can think of to pique their interest and change the subject. Depending on the extent of a loved one's memory problems, they may not remember these things you bring up, but it can help them break out of the loop they are caught in.

Redirecting Someone with Dementia

Closely related to lark is redirection. Sometimes changing the subject area isn't totally effective, so many caregivers redirect their loved ones' attending to a unlike activity that they can focus on. The point is to provide an alternative option that volition suspension the loop and keep an elderberry fully engaged.

Crafts, chores, snacks, watching movies or recordings of old Boob tube shows, and listening to CDs of their favorite music are especially effective. Quondam photograph albums are fantabulous for redirection too. Just endeavor to employ an anthology that contains photos from the distant past rather than more contempo pictures. A dementia patient'south curt-term retentivity is usually very weak and sometimes presenting them with documentation of recent events they do not recollect tin can exist upsetting. Long-term memory stays intact longer throughout the course of the disease, then older photographs tend to exist a safer bet. Signal out people in the pictures and ask your loved one to explicate who they were. The chances are very adept that they will remember the photos and may even entertain you with a related story.

Take a Deep Breath

I don't mean to minimize the irritation that arises from elders repeating the same questions and stories from their youths. I also don't want to imply that looking at an old photo album will solve the problem. Yet, these steps do work for most people, most of the time. Remember that validation is valuable and kind whether dementia is present or non. It is oft worth your while to carve out a few minutes to distract and redirect. Keeping a loved 1 engaged will meliorate their quality of life and continue your efforts from condign too wearisome. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, just footstep into another room for a few moments, accept a few deep breaths and then attempt once more.

C

Proficient Carol Bradley Bursack Minding Our Elders

Near Carol Bradley Bursack

Over the bridge of two decades, author, columnist, consultant and speaker Carol Bradley Bursack cared for a neighbor and six elderly family members. Her experiences inspired her to pen "Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories," a portable support group book for caregivers.

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Source: https://www.agingcare.com/articles/elders-repeating-the-same-story-146023.htm