Logic in Dementia?

[foolishfriend]

Hi

I care for my mother, who has moderately advanced Alzheimer's.

I used to assume that much of her 'odd' behaviour was inexplicable. My view on this is changing though.

She used to love curry, so the other night we had one. She had a couple of mouthfuls and then went off and started washing up, cleaning the kitchen, etc. and all the while I was saying 'come back and eat your food Mum, it's getting cold' and she was just ignoring me.

I eventually discovered from her that her curry was too hot for her. It seemed that she was unable to communicate this directly to me so she communicated in other ways, by ignoring it and me. So there was a kind of logic, a meaning, behind her behaviour. I've noticed this with a few of the things she does. They take some figuring out but they make kind of sense in the end. I'm still learning.

Does anyone have similar experiences?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[RosettaT]

Yes, the best piece of advice I was given was, ' Eventually a PWD will live in their own world, don't expect them to re-enter yours, you must enter theirs to understand them'.
Sometimes it's easy, others almost unfathomable, but
I've always been able to read my OH fairly well so I find it relatively easy. Sometimes it can take a bit of lateral thinking but 90% of the time there is some form of logic behind what he does or says.