Excerpt from: Caring for the Caregiver: Why your mental health matters when you are caring for others
by the World Federation for Mental Health, www.wfmh.org
Communication Difficutlities
“Communication is difficult for people with AD (Alzheimer’s Disease) and dementia, simply because they have trouble remembering things. This means they have:
- Trouble finding the right word when speaking
- Problems understanding what words mean
- Problems paying attention during long conversations
- Loss of train-of-thought when talking
- Trouble remembering the steps in common activities, such as cooking a meal, paying bills, getting dressed, or doing laundry
- Problems blocking out background noises from the radio, TV, telephone calls or conversations in the room
- Frustration if communication isn’t working
- Sensitivity to touch, tone, and loudness of voices.
Personality & Behavior Changes:
Personality and behavior changes are also common over the course of AD or dementia. Your loved one may:
- Get upset, worried, and angry more easily
- Act depressed or not interested in things
- Hide things or believe other people are hiding things
- Imagine things that aren’t there
- Pace a lot of the time
- Exhibit unusual sexual behavior
- Hit you or other people
- Misunderstand what he or she sees or hears
- Stop caring about how he or she looks, stop bathing, and want to wear the same clothes every day.
More more info, check out there 67-page caregiver manual. www.wfmh.org
This is such wonderful information. So simple and clearly defined. Thank you for sharing!
A true honor coming from you!!! Thank you so much. I treasure your site and am in awe of what you do there for others!
Peace Lori!
Jennifer