a lot of changes

[Sarah Wrann]

Hi everyone
I have just joined up and wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas. My mum is 89 and diagnosed with dementia some 6 years ago. She fell a few weeks ago and had to go into respite for a 2 weeks and so could not go out to Spain as planned. After a couple of weeks my brother came to see if she could manage to go back there with him. She did and was ok physically.

However, she has been doing strange things and then denying she has done them. I think its all the change she has had. Has anyone else found change to have a very negative affect on dementia symptoms?

 

[Soobee]

Hi Sarah and welcome to Talking Point.

Change can be very difficult for people with dementia, but I don't think anybody really likes change as it can be so unsettling to get used to a place and then have to go somewhere else. The fall she had may have had an impact on your mum's confidence and outlook. Did your mum have any different medication since the fall? Did she have to have an operation?

I ask about operations because we understand that anaesthesia can sometimes lead to a deterioration in people who have dementia.

The other thing is that your mum could have been already doing the strange things you mentioned but was able to cover them up in her home environment, but they may be more obvious elsewhere. Could this be a possibility?