Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

I Am a Caregiver

My great grandmother has dementia, she often feels the need to stand and then sit over and over again. She also wants us to ‘hurry’ for seemingly no reason. She says she feels fine, her vitals are what they should be and she’s as hydrated as she can be.
The nurses that come to our home don’t have anything to say about it.

Top | Newest First | Oldest First

4meAndyou · F

My mother died from dementia. After she died I specialized in the care of Alzheimers and dementia patients.

The brain that is suffering from dementia resembles fine swiss cheese...really. It can weigh as little as half of a normal human brain. The last part of the brain to remain functional is the part that remembers and enjoys music, so if you love your great-grandmother, buy her an Ipod and load it with all the most popular music from when she was about 15 years old. She will really love to listen to it.

As her memory deteriorates, she will still be able to remember perfectly any incident from her childhood and youth, and she will still be able to talk about that.

People with dementia can be emotional, but can sometimes only operate on strong emotions like anger, and they may try to provoke others to anger. Activity such as you mention is also normal in dementia. Try not to make your great-grandmother feel that she is behaving abnormally. A tiny part of her knows that, but she can't control it.

View 2 more replies »

GlitterBug · 22-25, F

I’ve been bringing attention it, this is new territory for all of us. My grandmother is not abused by any means but the tone of voice and all matters, we’re all learning how to manage it. There’s a lot of stress and frustration.
@4meAndyou

4meAndyou · F

@GlitterBug You have my sympathies. Please remember to do the Ipod for your great-grandmother. It will calm her, and give her some degree of happiness. When she calms because of the music, your family will calm. Here is an article you will want to ask your mother to read.

https://www.caregiver.org/caregivers-guide-understanding-dementia-behaviors

Remind her that your great-grandmother's brain is probably almost half gone. The brain at this stage usually looks like Swiss cheese and weighs half the amount of a normal brain. When your mother truly understands that she is dealing with this much brain damage, it might help to calm her.

GlitterBug · 22-25, F

Thank you @4meAndyou

MaryJanine · 61-69, F

I guess dementia is still pretty hard to understand. My one brother said his mother-in-law had it before she died, and his daughter (her granddaughter) came into the hospital room. Rose took one look at her, frowned and said, "Little girl, doesn't your mother know you are roaming around the hospital?" This with June, my sister-in-law, right there.

My one cousin told us his father has it, too, and he barely knows anybody from one day to the next. I feel for you and your family.

Pfuzylogic · M

With dementia her brain is physically “injured”. She seems to be going through a process similar to what we have in dreams. She is trying to resolve her anxiety.

Does she realize that she has dementia?
Has she been talked to about her condition?

View 6 more replies »

Pfuzylogic · M

@GlitterBug Then she must think that music distracts her from that important thing on her mind she just can’t remember.

Fernie · F

@GlitterBug Dementia is confusing and anxiety producing for many who suffer with it. I would guess noise like music would make her anxious as well. Why not just leave her be if she is healthy? She is not the same person she was so trying to make her be WILL frustrate you AND her.

GlitterBug · 22-25, F

We do for the most part. She gets bored though, all she does is sit in a chair all day. Can’t do much else. She will want to do something, just doesn’t know what. So we try different things when she asks. We don’t go out of our way to bother her. @Fernie

LyricalOne · F

They probably don’t know. So much of how the brain malfunctions is still a mystery.

GlitterBug · 22-25, F

Yeah, since it doesn’t cause any harm we just let her do these things. It worries me when she says to hurry though, like she feels something is wrong. @LyricalOne

uncalled4 · 56-60, M

Could be Alzheimer's. She sounds confused and frustrated. It's very sad, because I believe that they perceive something is wrong but cannot communicate it. There's also a thing called the Window of Lucidity where they come completely back just for a few moments, then return to that confused state.

Add a comment...