If the person you are caregiving for has dementia of any type, try to assess (for your own information) the different stages that this person goes through each day. Try and match the stage they are at. Dementia goes through many phases – sometimes the person may be alert, sometimes not. Other times, he/she might be living at a younger age or era of his/her life.
My Mom had transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), which eventually caused dementia and forgetfulness. One day, she was hurrying back to the bathroom with her walker, exclaiming that she had to pick up the boys from school. She was talking about my youngest two brothers, who were 10 and 11 years younger than I. At the time, they would have been in their late forties. I simply reassured her that they didn’t need a ride that day and I knew they were fine, so she didn’t need to worry.
It really doesn’t help to contradict or correct the person with dementia. Doing so will cause their anxiousness to spiral upward and possibly make them angry. If the patient becomes angry or argumentative, calming them down will be even more difficult.
It is better to agree with them, to divert them to another activity, or to simply reassure them that the person or activity they wanted to do didn’t need to be done until the next day.
If the patient asks a question about how something works, simply provide a gentle explanation. The person may become frustrated because he/she couldn’t remember. Reassure them that there is no problem, that you are there to help.
Agreement and redirection are keys to assisting the patient.
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