Dementia

[Butterbean]

How do you comfort a person who is having an episode of dementia and are very upset but you can't understand what they are saying?

If they are upset and you can understand them, you can explain reality relating to the situation and they can be comforted...but what if you can't understand them?

[YoungBlood]

I've seen many people on drunken ramblings before, or under some type of various altered states.

I've never really figured out if there is a "good" or even "best" way in my experience.

Many times I'll just agree with whatever it is they're saying and continue doing whatever it is reality calls for.

[powerpack]

STella you really cant do much.
My friends mom has it from Altzheimers, she does not even know who he is any more
Another buddies dad got it after a stroke.
I am just polite and kind and accept the pearson has it but you CAN NOT REASON OR COMMUNICATE WITH THEM on any adult level once the dementia reaches a certain point.

[Andy Griffin]

Very tough position.  It just takes all the patience, love, and grace you can pray for.  Like others have said, there comes a point of no return.  It is just so much harder to dicern from the inside, I guess.

[Parker]

How do you comfort a person who is having an episode of dementia and are very upset but you can't understand what they are saying?

If they are upset and you can understand them, you can explain reality relating to the situation and they can be comforted...but what if you can't understand them?

Just sit there and say, "I know, I know", and comfort them, answer their questions, otherwise you can do nothing.

There are certain things that are out of our hands and dementia is one of them

[Princess L]

Just like the others have said, there's not much you can do except to agree with them, comfort them and deal with it as if it is reality.  It's their reality at that moment, so there's no reason to try and tell them differently.  They'll forget it soon enough.

When I was in high school, I worked for an 85 year old man and his 91 year old wife with dimentia.  There were days she thought her husband was having an affair with me     Two minutes later she was my best friend...  Sometimes she had 6 wonderful children and other times she had one son who was an asshole 

[benchmstr]

How do you comfort a person who is having an episode of dementia and are very upset but you can't understand what they are saying?

If they are upset and you can understand them, you can explain reality relating to the situation and they can be comforted...but what if you can't understand them?

just sit there and talk to them, and say their name a lot, and eventually it will devid their attention and they will swing out of it(not permanent, but it will give them a moment of clarity).

bench

[mass 04]

My grandmother has very advanced alzheimers. The best thing you can do as bad as it sounds is reason with them like you would a child.  The best thing to do is agree with them that whatever happened is "bad" and try to calm them down, beacuse odds are it will be forgotten in a few minutes.

[Butterbean]

My grandmother has very advanced alzheimers. The best thing you can do as bad as it sounds is reason with them like you would a child.  The best thing to do is agree with them that whatever happened is "bad" and try to calm them down, beacuse odds are it will be forgotten in a few minutes.

Sorry to hear about your Grandma, mass.


Thanks for the good advice everyone

[Migs]

i'm depressed now