Increasing apathy

[tss502]

Hi all,

I am finding my OH is becoming increasingly apathetic and uninterested in other people. He quickly starts to lose interest in things and it is becoming increasingly hard to keep him stimulated. He plays table tennis regularly, but he is starting to break off in the middle of games with people and lose interest. He's also displaying more anxiety and agitation - especially around his belongings, needing to know, for example, where his hat and gloves are at any given moment, and often mistaking other people's belongings for his own and becoming obsessed with him. When I, or his carer, intervene, he can become a little verbally aggressive, raising his voice and saying 'no'. Whilst I recognise that this is probably a normal progression of his young-onset alzheimer's I wonder if anyone has any practical tips for dealing the the anxiety and agitation 'in the moment', and also whether we should be considering medication to help address the anxiety?

 

[canary]

You are right that this is common in dementia. As the disease progresses it becomes harder and harder for them to make sense of the world and work out how to do things. They may be able to do things for a short while, but the effort is enormous and they cant maintain it. You dad may actually be becoming over-stimulated by trying to do things and this could be what is causing the anxiety. If he just wants to sit and watch then that is fine.

 

[Peachez]

I find my OHs anxiety causes him anxiety.. if that makes any sense. He's on anti anxiety drugs and is supposed to practice mindfulness. I do find these things help, he was best when he had a 6 week course of CBT though that was back in 2016.
It's very hard to keep calm when they're agitated, but if you can it helps (you, rather than him), and if you can re-direct them/change the subject it can help too. If none of this works with my OH I try to leave the house for a while.
It can be infuriating ....

Have a chat with your GP, maybe give the meds a whirl and see if it makes enough difference to ease some of the tension... they can take weeks to take effect, and if they don't help he can always come off them.