Loud noises and dementia

[Dayperson]

I think I know the answer to this but are people with dementia not like loud noises. Mum will put her fingers in her ears when we hoover the house and today at the hairdressers she put her fingers in her ears when she was drying her hair.

Is this normal behviour for people with dementia and what can you do about it?

 

[marionq]

I dont like noises myself but since I dont have dementia I know not to make an issue of it. When you have dementia you just react without thinking about other people so she doesn't hide her dislike. I would let it go.

 

[Beate]

It's sensory overload. To be honest, I'm like that too. I often wear ear plugs to shut noise out. Not sure whether your Mum would tolerate them but you could try getting her to wear headphones with soothing music while you Hoover etc?

 

[Dayperson]

Thanks for that suggestion Beate, I may try that next time the hover comes out.

 

[irismary]

My OH does not like loud noises. Too much noise in restaurants, too much noise in hairdressers - chatting and driers, if i drop something - all these seem to alarm him. I recall that he seemed to start this some time before his diagnosis.

 

[Linbrusco]

My Mum with AD hates any loud noises, but the one that always draws her attention is a baby or child crying
My husband has a brain injury from surgery and treatment for a brain tumour 12yrs ago.
He hates sudden loud noises, shopping malls, crowds of people, supermarkets but has no issues listening to loud music. Maybe because of the melody and beat rather than chatter and the noise made?

 

[The Chewtor]

Hi there. My experiences and those of others I spend lots of time with, suggest that as some of our senses are diminished on some days, others are boosted as a kind of compensation. Vision goes down, hearing goes up. Touch goes down, smell or taste etc goes up and so it goes on.

Loud noises can be a problem, sudden noises usually are, background sounds that disturb concentration are problematic and so on. Even a constant background of many conversations going on can create confusion and therefore lack of attention and so a sudden, quiet hello, can make you jump from the other world you have drifted in to.

High pitched sounds especially child sounds have a very disturbing effect for some reason presumably hitting a sub conscious button somewhere.

I have earphone in much of the time as this music is constant, under my control and blocks out other sudden or loud or background noises.

some days it is eyes rather than ears and i have to wear sunglasses to avoid squinting even in seemingly low light conditions????

Wayne

 

[Aisling]

I think I know the answer to this but are people with dementia not like loud noises. Mum will put her fingers in her ears when we hoover the house and today at the hairdressers she put her fingers in her ears when she was drying her hair.

Is this normal behviour for people with dementia and what can you do about it?

In my experience yes loud noises upset my OH. Also crowded places, people chatting at the same time. Hoovering not great. More noise. People expecting him to join in conversations. He may get embarrassed and / or confused. Music may be too loud or he may enjoy short periods of same. People invading personal space can also be a problem too. It is certainly a problem for me, I can't stand people standing too close in a queue and sometimes it is almost impossible to give subtle hints!

Aisling

 

[Clive T]

Mum's the same. She was quite deaf and wearing hearing aids for about five years before Alzheimer's kicked in. These days any sort of noise; me clattering plates or a door slamming, for example, she finds unbearably loud. I find it interesting; she hasn't worn her hearing aids for ages yet it's as though the world's volume has been turned up to eleven. As with her almost complete loss of comprehension of any conversation, I think it's the fact she doesn't understand the noises which makes it such a shock to her.

 

[maryw]

I find my husband is sensitive about even the quietest sound..... And that is interesting in our house as I don't necessarily pick them up as I have severe otosclerosis in one ear! The TV volume is on about 1pm, which means I can't hear a thing and every little noise from a freezer working hard in hot weather (the odd day) to the aircon unit in the car making strange noises irritates and distracts my hubby from whatever he is doing .... So it's not just loud here!