I care for an elderly woman with alzheimers that Ive known most of my life. She is at a point where she talks non-stop for hours, and I mean 2-5 hours at a time. I answer and communicate back but after weeks of this Im afraid that it will burn me out. I care for her for 3 to 5 days at a time alone. Can someone tell me if this is one of the stages of alzheimers and also things I can do. Her family ignores her alot and raises their voices and I just wont do that. HELP
Non-stop talking
- Thread starter ruthiealine
- Start date
My mum has these non stop chat sessions. She will just talk and talk to me, the dog, the cats, the tv. Afraid like your family, I do ignore most of this, nod my head and smile as distraction does not work with her anymore. Can't stop it and if she gets in a loop of same question I can only give the same answer so many times before I start to feel tired with a headache. Sorry I have no positive answers for you, sometimes there just aren't any. My mum has just recently started talking in her sleep so you can imagine what that's like, on these chatty nights I worry that she may wake herself!
Maybe needs assessment
This can be a sign of hypomania and can be treated with a mild sedative. It is Not good for her to speak for 5 hours and no one should speak in their sleep. People need rest and axhaustion can lead to psychiatric issues. It's a spiral. It occurs as a result of the brain not being able to switch off and allow a period of rest and calmness. Speak to GP about an assessment for consideration of sedative or sleeping tablet or possible medication for hypomania. Psychiatric issues are extremely common in patients with dementia and can easily be treated and it is to their benefit.
This can be a sign of hypomania and can be treated with a mild sedative. It is Not good for her to speak for 5 hours and no one should speak in their sleep. People need rest and axhaustion can lead to psychiatric issues. It's a spiral. It occurs as a result of the brain not being able to switch off and allow a period of rest and calmness. Speak to GP about an assessment for consideration of sedative or sleeping tablet or possible medication for hypomania. Psychiatric issues are extremely common in patients with dementia and can easily be treated and it is to their benefit.
My mother would talk for several hours at a time and has only recently started to talk less. She would sometimes make herself hoarse talking. A professional told us it can provide two functions. That firstly, it is what is called self-stimulating. So she had no way of having a proper conversation or mental stimulation, so talking away is a way of giving herself this sort of stimulation. It is like an extreme version of myself when I have been on my own too long I will talk to myself about my shopping as I go around the supermarket.
The other thing about it, where it may be repeated phrases over and over again, the same professional thinks is like a way of the person trying to sort of calm themselves with words. I am not sure I buy that, as Mum could get quite agitated while repeating things but it is one theory on it.
In term of how to deal with it, maybe some other distractions might help, such as music, singing, cooking, crafts and trying to get her to engage with things.
As for how you feel about it, I know it sounds cruel but you have to sort of disengage your brain a bit to cope with it. In normal life we would try to always listen to someone and respond. With my mother, I do make sure I give prompts every now and then or say something to show I am 'listening' but in fact I switch off. It's the only way I could cope with it. She is much quieter now, she still rambles on, but is towards the end of her life now.
The other thing about it, where it may be repeated phrases over and over again, the same professional thinks is like a way of the person trying to sort of calm themselves with words. I am not sure I buy that, as Mum could get quite agitated while repeating things but it is one theory on it.
In term of how to deal with it, maybe some other distractions might help, such as music, singing, cooking, crafts and trying to get her to engage with things.
As for how you feel about it, I know it sounds cruel but you have to sort of disengage your brain a bit to cope with it. In normal life we would try to always listen to someone and respond. With my mother, I do make sure I give prompts every now and then or say something to show I am 'listening' but in fact I switch off. It's the only way I could cope with it. She is much quieter now, she still rambles on, but is towards the end of her life now.
OH often has times when he talks non stop, usually rubbish, frequently mumbling and no idea that he often he is being intrusive or that he is sometimes driving me a little nuts.
I think it is worse when he starts to sing the same song over and over because he does it at the top of his voice and is mostly out of tune.
When he starts talking, I resort to a range of hmmmms and arrrrs and yes and no and generally tune out because I have heard it all before and really wish it had the same effect on his singing.
Talking in your sleep is not that unusual unless it becomes excessive. Children do it a lot more frequently than adults but if you are concerned about it talk to her GP.
I think it is worse when he starts to sing the same song over and over because he does it at the top of his voice and is mostly out of tune.
When he starts talking, I resort to a range of hmmmms and arrrrs and yes and no and generally tune out because I have heard it all before and really wish it had the same effect on his singing.
Talking in your sleep is not that unusual unless it becomes excessive. Children do it a lot more frequently than adults but if you are concerned about it talk to her GP.
I do rather take issue with some parts of this post. To say that no one should speak in their sleep seems more than a little wide ranging, and to say that people with dementia (and I use the word people because I don't care for the term patients on a forum such as this) are "extremely common" and can be "easily treated" really does show a naivete about the realities of both dementia and the real world.
As to whether this is "hypomania" - maybe it is, maybe it isn't, maybe a sedative would help maybe it wouldn't. In my personal experience, administering a sedative to a person with dementia can result in a person who is now doing all the other things they were doing, but in a semi-drugged state. Now I also know people on the forum who have found that they helped. But I feel quite strongly that there is no "one solution" because, all together now - when you've seen one person with dementia you've seen one person with dementia.
hi ruthiealine
welcome to TP
there are a number of residents in dad's care home who chunter away to themselves most of the time (honestly, almost non-stop all day) - none really are expecting any response from anyone else, and none appear to be anxious about their talking - so maybe just relax a little about this - if your caree's family just 'um' and 'ah' with her, or let her chat and just carry on with their own conversations, then as long as she isn't distressed, maybe follow their lead most of the time and just engage with her once in a while if she brings up a topic you can share in - as you're there to support her and be her companion, it'll be counterproductive if you wear yourself to a frazzle trying to keep up with her
maybe suggest to the family that her GP is advised of her talking; keeping the GP up to date is always a wise move - not sure about sedatives given the risk of unsteadiness and falls
best wishes
welcome to TP
there are a number of residents in dad's care home who chunter away to themselves most of the time (honestly, almost non-stop all day) - none really are expecting any response from anyone else, and none appear to be anxious about their talking - so maybe just relax a little about this - if your caree's family just 'um' and 'ah' with her, or let her chat and just carry on with their own conversations, then as long as she isn't distressed, maybe follow their lead most of the time and just engage with her once in a while if she brings up a topic you can share in - as you're there to support her and be her companion, it'll be counterproductive if you wear yourself to a frazzle trying to keep up with her
maybe suggest to the family that her GP is advised of her talking; keeping the GP up to date is always a wise move - not sure about sedatives given the risk of unsteadiness and falls
best wishes
Thank you for posting, I wanted to respond, but could not work out what to say and there, you have said it all for me.
Hi and good morning
My mum has dementia and is talking to hours on end last night it was 6 hours. My dad is exhausted as am I.
My mum has dementia and is talking to hours on end last night it was 6 hours. My dad is exhausted as am I.
hello @Siobhan 67
a warm welcome to DTP
It's good you are mooching around and finding threads which relate to your experience
no wonder you and your dad are exhausted, your mum too maybe ... if she is safe in her surroundings, might you just leave her to talk and sleep yourselves, though if your parents share a bedroom, I guess that's not as easy as it sounds
do have a chat with your mum's GP as a tweak in meds may help ... and I hope you have some home care visits, maybe day care too, in place to take some of the pressure off
just to say, this thread is a couple of years old ... maybe think of starting your own thread, possibly in this forum
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/forums/i-care-for-a-person-with-dementia.70/
the info at the beginning of the 'Welcome' thread may help
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/thr...ing-point-find-out-more-and-say-hello.115953/
a warm welcome to DTP
It's good you are mooching around and finding threads which relate to your experience
no wonder you and your dad are exhausted, your mum too maybe ... if she is safe in her surroundings, might you just leave her to talk and sleep yourselves, though if your parents share a bedroom, I guess that's not as easy as it sounds
do have a chat with your mum's GP as a tweak in meds may help ... and I hope you have some home care visits, maybe day care too, in place to take some of the pressure off
just to say, this thread is a couple of years old ... maybe think of starting your own thread, possibly in this forum
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/forums/i-care-for-a-person-with-dementia.70/
the info at the beginning of the 'Welcome' thread may help
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/thr...ing-point-find-out-more-and-say-hello.115953/
My 92 yr old mom has been talking nonstop for several days 24/7 and have medication for her but nothing works so I let her engage until she tires which is usually 48 hrs ... difficult to watch
Hi @Luv my mom and welcome to Dementia Talking Point. This is an old thread, so you might not get any replies from some of the posters as they are no longer around.
Do have a look round the forums as you’ll find lots of help here.
I’ve only seen my mother once since March, but she used to talk over a variety of topics and often jumps from one to another which I found tricky to follow, specially as she talks quietly and I’m deaf.
Do have a look round the forums as you’ll find lots of help here.
I’ve only seen my mother once since March, but she used to talk over a variety of topics and often jumps from one to another which I found tricky to follow, specially as she talks quietly and I’m deaf.
My mum talks non stop at the TV she also reads out everything on the TV, especially the weather, she reads out all the cities, and we also have subtitles on and reads that out as well she has vascular dementia, and also talks in her sleep
Hi @Tackle landing and welcome to Dementia Talking Point. You'll get lots of advice and support here. You might want to start your own thread, use the blue Start Thread button at the top right of the page to begin, as that will mean more people will see it and reply.
My mum, who also has vascular dementia, used to talk a lot. At first I thought it was just her personality becoming more extreme, as mum had always been rather self centred. She'd phone me up and it would take twenty minutes for me to get a word in. As things progressed I realised it was part and parcel of her dementia.
My mum, who also has vascular dementia, used to talk a lot. At first I thought it was just her personality becoming more extreme, as mum had always been rather self centred. She'd phone me up and it would take twenty minutes for me to get a word in. As things progressed I realised it was part and parcel of her dementia.
This sound almost identical to the issue with my mum. She will now talk for an hour non stop with no interest in what any other person has to say. Always a little self centered, and never at a loss for words, she is getting much worse. And she will repeat a story day after day as thou she never told it before.
Mum goes through spates of this. It can be for hours and hours, just a one sided "conversation". I tend to block it out, although it can be extremely distracting if you are trying to watch TV or have a telephone conversation. No amount of pleading makes any difference.
We also have what I call "Jackanory" mode. The answer to a simple question e.g "Would you like a cup of tea?" , results in a long rambling tale about the people on TV, or "they" and how she has size 7 shoes!! 10 minutes later you've lost the will to live, and still don't have an answer.
We also have what I call "Jackanory" mode. The answer to a simple question e.g "Would you like a cup of tea?" , results in a long rambling tale about the people on TV, or "they" and how she has size 7 shoes!! 10 minutes later you've lost the will to live, and still don't have an answer.
What helped me from burning out when my Alzheimer’s patients gets into ‘Word salad’ and non-stop story-telling is this: I put my iPhone ear-phones on, hidden behind my long hair and I would listen to my favorite authors on audible-books on tape while I’m totally facing my patient and nodding to whatever He’s/she’s babbling about… until he/she gets up and starts walking around in which case I follow after them for their safety, since they are also: fall risks…. I know it’s not easy to care for Alzheimer’s patients, but I figure my sanity comes first.
When they are going through the Sundowners period, I put on piano music to help calm their nerves and sadness…
Feeding and drinking schedules are regular periods throughout the day whether they want it or not because they normally have very little appetite for food or drinks; so this way they won’t get malnourished or dehydrated….
