What Kinds of Repetition Might a Loved One with Dementia Start Displaying?
Home Care in East Meadow NY
Repetition is one of those challenging behaviors that your loved one can develop during the progress of dementia. There are many different ways that your loved one might develop repetitive behaviors and she’ll probably go through more than a few of them.
Questioning
If you’ve ever been around a toddler who is just learning how to ask questions, you have a taste of what repetitive questioning can be like from an elderly loved one who has dementia. The difference, however, can be that your loved one might get stuck on one specific question and ask that over and over, even when you’ve answered each time.
Crying Out for Help
Your loved one may start to ask for help, even while you’re in the midst of helping her. Usually this type of repetitive behavior is initially a request for some form of assistance and, while you’re actually helping her, can sometimes be an acknowledgement of sorts that you are helping. Sometimes, though, it means that you’ve not landed on her true issue yet and need to keep trying to figure out what she needs.
Requesting Loved Ones
It’s not uncommon for a loved one with dementia to get caught in a memory loop, of sorts. She may start thinking of a loved one who has passed away and start requesting to see that person. One way to cope with this is to acknowledge the memory of the person she’s asking about. Ask your loved one to tell you what she remembers about the person she’s requesting. Continue to drill down to the crux of why this person is important to your loved one right now.
Wandering
Wandering can be a terrifying habit for your loved one to start engaging in and it can be a sign of so many issues. She might be looking for something specific, like the bathroom, or someone specific. Your loved one may have a strong desire to “go home,” even if she is home. Wandering can be a sign that your loved one is bored, that she needs more physical activity, or that she has other unmet needs, so it’s important to try to figure out what is going on.
Shadowing
When your loved one shadows you, you may start to feel that you can’t go anywhere in the house without her tagging along behind you. She may be feeling anxiety, she may be bored, or she may simply be feeling lonely. Try offering her an activity to see if that occupies her attention and takes it away from her repetitive following of you.
If you’re not sure whether you’re witnessing true repetitive behavior in your loved one, try asking your loved one’s doctor or home care providers if what you’re seeing fits that description.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in East Meadow, NY, please contact the caring staff at Family First Home Companions. Serving all of Long Island. Call today: (631) 319-3961
Jennifer has specialized training in Alzheimer’s disease through the Long Island Alzheimer’s Association and the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation.She also volunteered her time with the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center of Long Island for 3 years by providing cognitive stimulation to an Alzheimer’s patient group.
Jennifer educates the community about elder care and speaks to caregiver support groups, senior centers, and at professional organizations.Topics include home safety, effective strategies for family caregiving, elder care planning, and awareness about elder abuse.
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