Ways to Deal with OBSESSIVE Behavior in Dementia ~ ABCs of Dementia FAQs
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- čas přidán 3. 02. 2019
- Ways to Deal with OBSESSIVE Behavior in Dementia ~ ABCs of Dementia FAQs ~ Does your person ask the same thing over and over? Count things compulsively? Feel the urge to check the faucet...stove...lights...over and over, or any other OCD type behavior? This video will quickly address why and what to do about it!
~About the Book~
“Dementia with Grace: A New, Positive Way of Dealing with Behaviors in People with Dementia” addresses behaviors whether caused by Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy-Body dementia, vascular dementia, frontal-temporal dementia or any other type.
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In this book, you will find information, tips, and techniques to help take care of a person living with dementia, with grace.
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Join other caregivers who have met with me via VIDEO CONFERENCING! It’s easy to get YOUR questions answered! Email me to get started! : Vicky@dementiawithgrace.com
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Vicky Noland Fitch
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~About Me~
My name is Vicky Noland Fitch and I hold a Bachelor of Social Work degree and I am also a Certified Dementia Practitioner. I have been a dementia caregiver for over 25 years, and I love to help people problem solve when difficult behaviors arise. I live and work out of an 1892 farmhouse deep in the heart of Dixie with my husband, Phil and my ragdoll cat, Contessa. I have one daughter, Emily, and a son in law, Eric.
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Disclaimers and Disclosures:
The information presented herein has been developed by Vicky Noland Fitch, BSW, CDP over a 25+ year career of working primarily as a dementia caregiver, educator, trainer and now as a consultant.
The information provided in this video should not be construed or relied upon as medical advice for any specific fact or circumstance. Its content was prepared by Dementia With Grace for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should not act or rely on any of the information contained herein without seeking professional medical advice.
Any links to products for sale are affiliate links. I earn a little money if you click through and buy it. It costs nothing to you, and adds a little change to my pocket! I would never endorse something I have not personally read or used or believe to be of benefit. If it is here, I have found value in It! ~ Vicky New contact email: vicky@dementiawithgrace.org for 1:1 consult requests, business inquiries....Thanks! Vicky
What obsessive behavior do you deal with? What are your go-to strategies? LEAVE me a comment!1 Are you subscribed? Please consider subscribing and hitting the bell to never miss a video!
I'm experiencing her picking at her ears and nose, and when it get too sore she starts picking another place. She knows she's doing it but says she can stop or catch herself doing it .
I doctor them everyday. A haven't found anything that will take her mind off it .
I tried putting bandaids on her fingers as a reminder or on her ears put doesn't stay on . Lol.
Mother’s obsession with lights and parked cars was never ending and practically impossible to curtail. The lights were dealt with by my sister who simply told her to leave them alone because they were responsible for her heating . Multiple phone calls still followed. The parked car, batteries in clocks, turning photographs face down and other repetitive behaviour issues were dealt with by slow and constant explanation. Not helped that mother was deaf and refused to wear hearing aids. Mother fell last June and was hospitalised after 2 ambulance call outs, the first, which she refused. In hospital , mother caught Covid and with her Social Services History made clear that she needed more help, mother was assessed. She was admitted into a Care Home in August 2022. Mother , who had never been ill throughout her 94 year Iife span, got a chest infection. She declined rapidly and passed away in December 2022. Mother was surrounded by myself and my siblings at her bedside. Her long journey finally at an end.
My husband with dementia wants to take the trash out many times a day even if it does not need it. I can allow that but the one that bothers me is his obsession with sweepstakes mail. He thinks it is his job so he wants to win money. Everyday he sits and writes checks to different sweepstakes and anything that has to do with social security. He was a government worker so I think his behavior is related to that.
Me and my mom care for my father who has Alzheimer's disease. His obsession is sitting on the toilet folding Toilet paper on his lap. He can spend an hour plus in there and it feels like he is wasting what life he has left in the bathroom.
But it must be soothing to him in some way. I have seen that obsession before, and it is generally harmless UNLESS he is straining to defecate constantly. That can cause an issue. Also, encourage him to reposition frequently to alternate pressure points. Stand up, wash his hands, sit at table and stack something in a basket. If he seems to be obsessed with toilet paper, have him stack rolls. Unroll one roll and have him re-roll it. Keep his hands busy, and alternate sitting, standing, lying. All my best!! ❤️Vicky
My mom was always ocd not treated because she won’t admit she has a problem. It is also why I can’t get a diagnosis. But the problem is she is obsessed with her medication. She checks it and the paper from the doctor and other papers every 30 seconds to two min. I tried getting her a timer to release the meds on time but she would not do it once. She constantly asked me she wants me to read her papers as if I don’t know. I do nothing to prevent her from looking at them and she understands enough. But every 30 seconds to have her do this to me is making me insane. And her anxiety is making me anxious. She will even come in my room when I have had enough and start it. I have told her tons of times to leave me alone. I even made her papers that are easy to read and understand. I just need peace.
Oh I hear you. PLEASE take care of your self.
My stepmom often picks at her skin and keeps re aggravating wounds on her face. We’re trying to keep her hands busier as well as putting stuff to help with itching
I'm going through the same..I'm going to try the gloves and see if that works
@@debbiekay6036 at the time her nuero said it may take meds too but we tried to keep her hands busier as well. They have like fidget items and blankets etc that could also be helpful to try as well.
@ToLiveInspired I've tried those dementia " toys " .So far I haven't found one that works for her ..
@@debbiekay6036 They have ones for the wrist as well, also we tried to work with what she liked to do before so craft (there is just add water paint books, dementia friendly books) I hope you find something that works. I know how frustrating it is. She would really dig into herself at times.
Mine does the same. There is nothing to keep her hands occupied, she doesn't like knitting or puzzles or anything like that.
Excellent and most helpful as usual! Thanks!!!
This is my first video of yours. I'm so relieved you do these! My husband and I recently inherited my father in law. He has not "officially" been diagnosed with Dementia (currently he carries acute metabolic encephalopathy) but I am 100% sure this is close to dementia. (Or maybe I'm wrong.) He goes to the doctor this week after the hospital stay and we'll see where we end up.
Being the calmest person in the room is going to be my mantra essentially. And the visual of a broken brain I hope will help. 😔
GREAT INSIGHT!!! TY!❤️👍
My older sister with early on-stage, chants every waking hour. She will also hit the walls in rhythm and shouts the chants out loudly. I don't know how she does it. She will exhaust herself, but will NOT stop. I've decided to pad her bedroom walls with sound proof material, as her constant droning can make you crazy.
She may be having auditory hallucinations. I have seen that when a person chants or yells, especially with head butting behavior. Does she have a neurologist already? Tell them about this behavior. There are meds that can help.
My 94 year old mother has stage 5 Alzheimers and is now in a Care Home after a fall outside her home in June this year. Mother had lived alone in her bungalow for the last 32 years. Throughout the past 3 years , mother was obsessed with lights being on. She rang my sister constantly asking for the boiler light to be switched off. She asked for the solar panels in her garden to be switched off. She sat in the dark refusing to turn lights and lamps on because she thought she could not afford to pay for them. Mother was obsessed with cars which parked outside her bungalow and rang my sister asking her to remove them. Mother went through 4 sets of carers over the past 5 years and refused all offers to improve her safety in her home. She refused to socialise with community hubs, saying she did not like being with old people. Mother thankfully is now in a much better and safer environment but it has been one long hard struggle to get her there.
Thanks for.posting these. I wish I had this when I was caring for my mama. Now I am caring for my hubby who is in early stages of Dementia.
Obsessions are the repetitive thoughts. Compulsions are the behavior(s) they must do otherwise they’ll become distressed.
Always good advice. I am trying to become the calmest person in the room. I am learning that what seems to me to be strange behavior is the person seeking comfort. One thing my person does that didn’t seem to make sense is to get anxious when we are away from her home about the whereabouts of her pocket calculator. I have put an Air Tag with her calculator so I can show her that her calculator is safe at her home. That works for a while but eventually she gets so anxious that I take her home so she can be reunited with her calculator. Sometimes she insists on taking her calculator with her. I then become the anxious one as she habitually loses things and I have to be alert to where the calculator is at all times so she won’t leave it behind. She doesn’t actually use the calculator to calculate anymore. However, she was an accountant in her previous life and must be deriving comfort from being with the former tool of her trade.
Thank you for helping with my situation. My loved one has an obsession about a 90 min prayer list he has done for two years. He says it fast like another language. He is extremely anxious until he does it for each day and then he is happy. He has delusions about other people's prophetic freaks he sees on you tube. I feel he is controlled by these things and I has no power to change him. I need his help at times but he completely shuts me out during his prayers. I don't know what to say to him.
Janet, in my experience, the only way to interrupt this behavior is to try to distract or redirect. However, this type of behavior is called perseveration, and it is very difficult to redirect. Just remember every cloud runs out of rain, and all behaviors have a natural end one of the tricks that is talked about in the group is having noise canceling headphones. You can still hear some ambient noise.
I wish we'd done outbursts. We passed the obsessive stage. We were watching a movie and someone came over to bring food to my parents and my mom kept telling their friend to shut up. Of course my Dad was mortified but the friend was quite understanding. We tried to encourage my mom to pause the movie but she'd have nothing to do that with.
Lori Abercrombie I will be doing it! Probably will be the focus of this week’s LIVE! On the Dementia With Grace Show!
@@DementiaWithGrace that sounds great
My mom steals and hoards food.
In morn. I go down and everything is sticky. I know he has been in the sweets ❤
Hi Grace, I’ve been a secondary carer for my dad for the last few years. Me and mum take turns caring for him. He’s great and for the most part he’s fine. But I’ve found over the last year or so he’s become obsessed about the notion of having a car again… The pandemic was very hard on him, it made us have to reassess how we do things. But over the last 4 or 5 months he’s been very agitated and thinks all the cars parked are something he can buy… It has got to the stage sometimes that he’s put himself at risk… I’ve tried to explain to him and he did get over it before when his license was taken from him… So any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
I'll have to bookmark this video for my husband to watch. As you know, I'm preparing my family in case I need a caregiver... Anyway, even as a young person I have had OCD, so I can only imagine how dementia will amplify the effects of it. I've been medicated for OCD for about 25 years, with really good results... But do these sorts of well-treated issues become less well-treated with the added dysfunction of dementia?
Amy Pope great question. I see reemerged Behaviors in people with bipolar or schizophrenia who then have Dementia Layered on top, so yes, it could worsen. Medicine is processed differently in the elderly, too. That plays a role! Thanks for the question!
My mother in law is obsessed with espresso. As a little Italian lady that was used to having a cup or 2 a day it’s turned into something all day she wants everyone to have a cup or 10 with her. She won’t stop making and asking for you to have some. I can have 1 or 2 but beyond that I feel shaky and sick. I can only imagine how it makes her feel. It can’t be good for her. Any suggestions. I’ve taken to hiding the espresso and pot after a couple pots but she gets very agitated and continues to ask for it and ask anyone that comes to the house to have some even when they politely decline she hounds them until they either give in or get upset too. You can’t even have a conversation with a guest because she interrupts constantly asking if they want a espresso. Any advice?
Yikes. I made our coffee half decaf. Helps if my husband wants coffee late. He does not know. When I suggested he said would not taste good. Has not noticed. ❤❤❤❤
So my client has obsessive behaviors, will only do things a certain way, which would be fine, except that then she doesn't want to do something like take a shower, change her clothing, or even use the bathroom because it's "too much on her plate". But she makes it too much by going over her pants meticulously for hairs five times, shaking them out 10, before putting them on one leg at a time checking a few more times before the next leg. She won't do it any simpler, so it's easier on her. She wont let caregivers assist her getting dressed, showers, or toileting because she's self-conscious. None of my supervisors or her case manager have been helpful. Do you have any insight? None of my training has covered this either.
82 y.o. female w dementia handwashes for 20 minutes at a time multiple times a day, wont let anyone use the bathroom because shes in there not using the toilet but running the water on and on and on and on..... Im in home help. Please offer advice. She takes 40 mg of citalopram.
My husband is in a nursing home, has dementia. He calls out at night disturbing other residents. He calls for me, he makes unledgible (sp) sounds. Unfortunately he also has a loud voice. What can be done about this?
Hey Dianne! This is actually a very common behavior, and I believe it stems from anxiety, loneliness, or fear. I believe that most behaviors are, because of an met need. I would add a nightlight just in case he’s afraid of the dark in a room he doesn’t recognize. Also, you could try a realistic stuffed animal, like a big dog or cat that he could have in the bed. He might be too early for that, I don’t know, but it does help sometimes. You could ask about a medicine named trazodone. It is an old antidepressant that is often used in people with dementia for insomnia, that might be an option. I know it is so frustrating to number one: be separated from him, number two: it’s the anxiety that he’s interrupting the sleep of other residents. I would encourage you to join our group on Facebook. Many families go through similar struggles and can offer suggestions of what helped them. The link is in the information under the video. If you can’t find it there, just search on Facebook for Dementia with Grace Caregiver Support Group. I hope this answer helps. All my love, Vicky ❤️❤️❤️
Feeling for you dear. I have my honey at home and it's not so bad yet. I am blown away by all these horrible diseases. Sad. ❤
My mother has swallowing difficulty and chokes on EVERYTHING but she is obsessed with eating and drinking tea which she is obsessed with having piping hot. She's broken 3 microwave ovens in a matter of months and the cooker fuse has to be switched off because she's burnt so much stuff. She will be constantly at the kettle and toaster if not watched and is wanting her tea heated every few minutes all day but she doesn't drink it she just let's it get cool enough that she wants it heated again.
It's so hard to hear her constantly choking on what she's trying to eat but she won't eat her food of its pureed like its supposed to be. She wants biscuits and toast all the time. Then aswell she doesn't sleep and keeps me awake by coughing the food she ate earlier in the loo. I feel so bad for her but it's aggravating my already bad anxiety and depression.
Food is her only comfort so we can't deny her that. She was in a home for a few weeks recently after a fall and fracture and she literally starved because she wouldn't touch the purged meals they gave her. She got dehydration too because they put thickener in her drinks and she refused to drink them.
Sorry for just answering, I have had health problems myself and I am trying to get caught up on all of the post! This is a very common situation in folks that have to have puréed food and thickened liquids. I would ask her home healthcare team for suggestions. If she does not have home healthcare, try to get them involved insurance pays well for this service.
We see so many signs. Sometimes it is good. Just today sitting in car 10 mins he began to scratch back of hand very hard and he is strong. I told him I would put crean in my b purse but he said no his hand lookes better after he scratched it. He stopped and then began rubbing fingernail back and forth on his leg .
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤!