One sign of the crumbling brain is repeating things more often, especially stories and questions. In that location are reasons for this that are not related to progressive conditions like dementia, just in either case, repetition can become one-time very quickly. Even the nearly experienced and patient family caregivers occasionally struggle to hide their frustration. While at that place is no easy ready for this trying side effect of crumbling, a change in attitude and some proven strategies tin assist you keep your cool and preserve your loved ane'due south nobility.

On Aging and Being Repetitive

As nosotros age, our perspective on life changes. There'southward a human need to brand sense of what has happened in i'south past and to contemplate what 1'southward legacy volition be. Added years give u.s. a run a risk to reflect on our past from a distance and provide a unique point of view that only elders can fully understand and appreciate. Recounting old stories is one way that many seniors piece of work through this process. Sharing experiences with those nosotros love helps us derive meaning from our successes, failures, joys and hardships. This is besides the way countless generations have secured their legacy—by passing down lessons learned and words of wisdom.

If an aging loved one retells the same stories every now and and so, and y'all recall to yourself, "I've heard that a hundred times!" please take the patience to let them go along. They may be working through the past to detect a sense of meaning. Whether it's consciously or unconsciously, elders oftentimes want to figure out how these events shaped their present and will play into their future.

When family members and friends sympathize the importance of an elder retelling personal stories, they tend to be more tolerant of the repetition. Furthermore, it's of import to realize that just considering an elder repeats some things doesn't necessarily hateful they take dementia. Their minds may not be as sharp or fast as they used to be, but some rumination and forgetfulness isn't unusual in elders.

Coping with Repetition Caused past Dementia

According to the Alzheimer's Association repetition is common in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia, often in association with a person'southward desire to seek comfort or security. My heart goes out to the many family caregivers who must mind to the same argument, question or story 20 times in one hour because a parent or spouse has some form of dementia. Short-term retentiveness loss makes it impossible for dementia patients to remember what they just said, so they say it once more and again and again. Anyone who has been in this situation will tell you that in that location'south a limit to how many times you tin muster a genuine response. It'southward plenty to drive a person mad. So, what tin dementia caregivers practise near these seemingly countless loops?

Practice Understanding

Try to understand that your loved 1 isn't repeating stories or questions to irritate you. Your loved i'due south brain is damaged, and they can't remember request y'all what fourth dimension their doc's appointment is at or telling you that they need more tissues at the grocery store, and so these things happen over and again. If y'all understand the reason backside repetitive beliefs, you volition probable find you can better control your irritation and exist more patient.

I rarely advise comparison elders and children because I feel that too much of this can skew our thinking, simply in this case, it tin be enlightening. Rather than using this comparison to justify treating a senior similar a child, use it to change your attitude and expectations. Children repeat things ofttimes to better grasp and memorize new information. Nearly people are very agreement of this learning process and children's limited capabilities. Seniors with dementia may be repeating words and behaviors in their own quest to grasp or empathize information.

We have more patience for younger individuals because they are growing mentally and we know that their questions and one-track statements volition eventually wane. Information technology follows and then that we feel that this behavior is inappropriate for seniors who have amassed decades of knowledge and experience. However, the truth is that dementia patients' worlds do not make sense. Repetition may be an effort to procedure information, empathise stimuli, or express a business concern. Information technology'south probable that dementia behaviors such equally repetition get worse over fourth dimension, and then mastering empathy and cocky-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, aroused or fifty-fifty fierce. Navigating these situations is particularly difficult and takes a great deal of practice, but at that place are three specific techniques that are recommended for coping with difficult dementia behaviors: validation, lark and redirection. On their own, these strategies are useful, merely when a caregiver tin can learn to employ them all together, it'south 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 empathetic way. Rather than reorienting a patient to reality or refuting their warped perception of things, you lot acknowledge their version and gently dispel any anxiety or discomfort they may be experiencing.

For example, if your loved 1 says the grass in the front yard is blue, what does information technology hurt if you lot concord with this statement rather than argue that it'due south actually green? An advisable validating response might be, "Aye, information technology does look kind of blue from this bending." Acquiescing doesn't affect anyone negatively and your elder doesn't finish up feeling like they're always wrong. Just keep in mind that validation is not tantamount to shrugging off the things a intendance recipient says.

Validation unremarkably works, but Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are unpredictable weather condition. Nothing ever works 100 percent of the time. It becomes more than difficult to practice validation when an elderberry'due south thoughts are causing a peachy deal of anxiety or agitation. For example, during a certain stretch of my dad'due south dementia, he idea there was a war taking identify in our boondocks because he'd seen news footage of a strange conflict on Tv. I had one heck of a time handling this persistent delusion. I obviously couldn't just agree with him and say there was a war hither, 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 rubber. I promised him that I wouldn't let annihilation happen to him. Somewhen, he let it go. In these scenarios, nosotros caregivers stop up repeating ourselves, too, which can be exasperating. But we do what we must to keep our loved ones calm and content.

Lark from Repetitive Thoughts

The adjacent stride is to attempt to distract your loved one. After the second or third repetition, try changing the topic of word. Mention their grandchildren and what they have been up to. Talk about an quondam friend who has washed something interesting recently. Use anything you can think of to pique their interest and change the field of study. Depending on the extent of a loved 1's memory issues, they may not recall these things you bring upwards, simply it can help them suspension out of the loop they are caught in.

Redirecting Someone with Dementia

Closely related to distraction is redirection. Sometimes changing the subject isn't totally effective, so many caregivers redirect their loved ones' attention to a dissimilar action that they can focus on. The point is to provide an alternative option that volition pause the loop and go along an elderberry fully engaged.

Crafts, chores, snacks, watching movies or recordings of quondam Telly shows, and listening to CDs of their favorite music are especially constructive. Erstwhile photo albums are excellent for redirection as well. But try to employ an album that contains photos from the distant by rather than more recent pictures. A dementia patient'south brusque-term memory is unremarkably very weak and sometimes presenting them with documentation of recent events they do not recollect tin can exist upsetting. Long-term retentiveness stays intact longer throughout the grade of the affliction, and then older photographs tend to be a safer bet. Signal out people in the pictures and inquire your loved i to explicate who they were. The chances are very good that they will call up the photos and may even entertain you with a related story.

Have a Deep Jiff

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. Nevertheless, these steps do work for near people, most of the time. Think that validation is valuable and kind whether dementia is present or non. It is often worth your while to cleave out a few minutes to distract and redirect. Keeping a loved one engaged will improve their quality of life and keep your efforts from condign too tedious. If you notice yourself getting overwhelmed, just step into another room for a few moments, take a few deep breaths and so try again.