Gloria flounced into the dining room and announced loudly, “Someone stole my purse!”
Like a tightening belt, the agitation among the others in the room increased. We had a thief among us? Was anyone’s belongings safe?
Gloria’s care partner assured her she would help look, and they went arm in arm down to her room. Gloria continued to maintain that since the purse was stolen, looking in her room would do no good, but she liked her care partner, so went along with her. When they went to the room, Gloria sat on the bed and they chatted while her care parnter looked in the drawers of her bureau. Gloria’s mood had improved and she no longer yelled or acted as paranoid. In the third drawer, they discovered the purse, a brown square with a broken handle and zipper, containing several kleenexes and a lipstick. Gloria clutched it to her and hugged her care partner.
People who walk with dementia often display a variety of what are called “behaviours.” Anger, agitation, anxiety, restlessness, repetition, sleep disturbances, paranoia and other issues. Sometimes, these seem to come out of nowhere, but they seldom do.
Most often there is an unmet need involved. Even when people with dementia are able to talk, they often can’t express what they are feeling, so it comes out in a behaviour.
What was Gloria feeling? A sense of panic because she couldn’t find something that felt important to her? Maybe her daughter had given her the purse years ago, and although she didn’t remember that, she knew it was important. When she couldn’t find it (which happened several times a day) she felt lost.
Do you feel that way when you can’t find your cell phone?
Have you ever snapped at someone because you were tired and hungry? Your unmet need (for rest and food) made you react in an irrational way. Imagine that situation happening over and over as you tried to navigate the confusing world of dementia. We jump to medicate or isolate when we often need to understand and listen.
Here are some possible unmet needs:
- hunger
- need to use the toilet
- lonely
- pain
- bored
- tired
- overwhelmed/overstimulated
Listen as Theresa Youngstrom describes how we need to become detectives.
This month, we will look at some of the most prevalent “behaviours” (I really hate that word, and wish we had a better one) and look at possible intervention. Nothing works all the time or in every situation, but hearing other ideas may spark a new idea.
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