One sign of the crumbling brain is repeating things more than often, especially stories and questions. There are reasons for this that are not related to progressive conditions like dementia, just in either case, repetition tin get old very quickly. Even the virtually experienced and patient family caregivers occasionally struggle to hide their frustration. While there is no easy fix for this trying side effect of crumbling, a change in attitude and some proven strategies tin help yous keep your cool and preserve your loved i's dignity.

On Aging and Being Repetitive

As we age, our perspective on life changes. There's a human demand to make sense of what has happened in 1'south past and to contemplate what one'southward legacy volition be. Added years give us a chance to reflect on our past from a distance and provide a unique indicate of view that only elders tin can fully understand and capeesh. Recounting old stories is one way that many seniors work through this process. Sharing experiences with those we honey helps us derive meaning from our successes, failures, joys and hardships. This is also the manner countless generations have secured their legacy—past passing down lessons learned and words of wisdom.

If an aging loved one retells the same stories every now and and so, and yous think to yourself, "I've heard that a hundred times!" please have the patience to let them go on. They may exist working through the past to notice a sense of meaning. Whether information technology's consciously or unconsciously, elders often want to effigy out how these events shaped their present and volition play into their future.

When family members and friends understand 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 mean they accept dementia. Their minds may not exist every bit sharp or fast as they used to be, but some rumination and forgetfulness isn't unusual in elders.

Coping with Repetition Caused by Dementia

According to the Alzheimer'due south Association repetition is mutual in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia, oftentimes in clan with a person's desire to seek comfort or security. My centre goes out to the many family unit caregivers who must mind to the aforementioned statement, question or story 20 times in 1 hour because a parent or spouse has some course of dementia. Curt-term memory loss makes information technology impossible for dementia patients to remember what they but said, then they say it once more and again and once more. Anyone who has been in this state of affairs will tell you that at that place's a limit to how many times yous can muster a 18-carat response. Information technology'south enough to bulldoze a person mad. So, what can dementia caregivers do almost these seemingly endless loops?

Do Understanding

Try to empathise that your loved one isn't repeating stories or questions to irritate you. Your loved 1'due south encephalon is damaged, and they can't remember asking you what time their doctor'southward appointment is at or telling you that they need more than tissues at the grocery shop, so these things happen over and again. If you understand the reason backside repetitive behavior, you will probable find you lot can better control your irritation and be more than patient.

I rarely propose comparing elders and children because I feel that too much of this can skew our thinking, but in this case, information technology can be enlightening. Rather than using this comparison to justify treating a senior like a kid, apply information technology to modify your attitude and expectations. Children echo things frequently to ameliorate grasp and memorize new information. Nigh people are very understanding 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 sympathise information.

We have more patience for younger individuals because they are growing mentally and nosotros know that their questions and one-rails statements will eventually wane. Information technology follows then that we experience that this beliefs is inappropriate for seniors who have amassed decades of knowledge and experience. All the same, the truth is that dementia patients' worlds do not make sense. Repetition may exist an attempt to process data, understand stimuli, or express a business. It's likely that dementia behaviors such as repetition become worse over fourth dimension, so mastering empathy and self-command is paramount for dementia caregivers.

How to Bargain with Repetition and Dementia

Dementia tin 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, angry or fifty-fifty vehement. Navigating these situations is peculiarly hard and takes a bang-up bargain of practice, only in that location are three specific techniques that are recommended for coping with difficult dementia behaviors: validation, distraction and redirection. On their ain, these strategies are useful, but when a caregiver can acquire to utilize them all together, it's 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 compassionate way. Rather than reorienting a patient to reality or refuting their warped perception of things, you lot acknowledge their version and gently dispel whatsoever anxiety or discomfort they may be experiencing.

For example, if your loved one says the grass in the front one thousand is blue, what does information technology hurt if you agree with this statement rather than argue that information technology'southward really green? An appropriate validating response might be, "Yes, it does await kind of blue from this angle." Acquiescing doesn't touch anyone negatively and your elder doesn't finish upward feeling similar they're e'er wrong. Only keep in mind that validation is not tantamount to shrugging off the things a intendance recipient says.

Validation usually works, just Alzheimer'south disease and other forms of dementia are unpredictable conditions. Cipher ever works 100 per centum of the time. It becomes more difficult to practise validation when an elder's thoughts are causing a great bargain of feet or agitation. For example, during a certain stretch of my dad'southward dementia, he thought there was a state of war taking identify in our town considering he'd seen news footage of a foreign conflict on Television receiver. I had one heck of a time handling this persistent delusion. I obviously couldn't just agree with him and say in that location was a state of war here, because 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 safety. I promised him that I wouldn't let anything happen to him. Eventually, he let it go. In these scenarios, we caregivers end up repeating ourselves, too, which can be exasperating. Simply we do what nosotros must to go on our loved ones at-home and content.

Lark from Repetitive Thoughts

The next pace is to try to distract your loved ane. After the second or third repetition, endeavor changing the topic of discussion. Mention their grandchildren and what they accept been up to. Talk about an old friend who has done something interesting recently. Use anything you lot can retrieve of to pique their involvement and change the subject area. Depending on the extent of a loved one'south retention issues, they may not recollect these things you bring up, but information technology can assistance them break out of the loop they are defenseless in.

Redirecting Someone with Dementia

Closely related to distraction is redirection. Sometimes changing the bailiwick isn't totally constructive, and so many caregivers redirect their loved ones' attention to a different activity that they tin can focus on. The signal is to provide an alternative pick that will interruption the loop and keep an elder fully engaged.

Crafts, chores, snacks, watching movies or recordings of erstwhile TV shows, and listening to CDs of their favorite music are especially effective. One-time photo albums are excellent for redirection every bit well. But try to use an album that contains photos from the distant past rather than more than contempo pictures. A dementia patient's brusk-term memory is normally very weak and sometimes presenting them with documentation of recent events they do not recall can be upsetting. Long-term memory stays intact longer throughout the course of the illness, and so older photographs tend to be a safer bet. Point out people in the pictures and ask your loved one to explain who they were. The chances are very adept that they will remember the photos and may even entertain you with a related story.

Have a Deep Breath

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 desire to imply that looking at an quondam photo anthology will solve the problem. However, these steps do work for most people, most of the time. Remember that validation is valuable and kind whether dementia is present or not. It is oft worth your while to cleave out a few minutes to distract and redirect. Keeping a loved one engaged will meliorate their quality of life and proceed your efforts from becoming too tedious. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, just step into some other room for a few moments, accept a few deep breaths and then effort again.