Talking to himself.

[Sandy47]

My husband was initially diagnosed with alzheimers. He has deteriorated during the last few months and has difficulty forming proper words or sentences so communication is quite limited. Over the last few weeks he's started talking to himself. He does it mostly when he's sitting, walking around the house or watching tv. He seems oblivious to me being there so he's not trying to talk to another real person.
I do know that hallucinations can be common but he doesn't seem to have those.
Is this a symptom of alzheimers or another form of dementia? Is it worth following up or just something that will get worse over time?
I visited my dad in hospital once when the patient in the bed opposite him talked to himself the whole time. It was so distressing to witness even though I didn't know the man. I can't bear the thought that my lovely husband will be like that.

 

[lollyc]

This is something Mum does a lot, but it does seem to wax and wane. We can have days, and nights, when she will talk constantly for up to 2hrs. It's not a conversation, as she doesn't expect me to partake, more a running commentary. Mum was diagnosed with a non-specific dementia, so I can't say if it's related to the type. She has done it for 3 years, and it's got no worse (or better) in that time. I expect it's just another one of the weird and wonderful (no, never wonderful) things that dementia throws at us.
Not much help, I'm afraid, but at least you're not the only one.

 

[canary]

OH does this sometimes, especially when he is reading - like a child who is still learning to read and says the words under their breath. When OH also does this when he is not reading he seems to be verbalising his thoughts and is completely oblivious to it.

Im afraid I just ignore it as its not doing any harm and I find other things that OH does far more distressing.

 

[Sandy47]

Thanks. It is reassuring to know that it's probably not the start of anything, just a phase or something else to get used to. I think I worry too much that I'm not looking after him properly and any new development means action needs to be taken by me. I've always believed that there are solutions to everything, that there's always something I can do to improve the situation and been pro active so it's hard to come to terms with the fact that dementia doesn't respond to this approach.

 

[canary]

I've always believed that there are solutions to everything, that there's always something I can do to improve the situation

Sometimes with dementia, the solution is to change the way you think, or respond to it rather than trying to change the person with dementia.
xx