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Going to the dining room to eat lunch—it seems like a simple part of a daily routine. Most of us don’t think twice about which direction to go, which door to pass through, or which table to sit at. However, for many individuals living with symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, navigating even the most familiar spaces can be a challenge at times.
Anna’s Story
In the case of ‘Anna’ who has dementia and lives in a retirement home. Anna’s feelings of disorientation within her space and forgetfulness of where she needed to go was preventing her from going down to the dining room for her meals.
This, of course, was a cause for concern for her daughter ‘Wanda’. Wanda was at first was puzzled as to why her mother, after living at the retirement home for the past 3 1/2 years, was reluctant to venture downstairs.
Wanda knew she had to investigate further.
Why It’s Important to Ask “WHY”
When it comes to changes in behaviours, asking ‘Why’ the behaviour is occurring is the first key step to finding a solution for someone with dementia.
This can sometimes prove difficult, as a person with dementia may have trouble articulating and communicating their reasons and motives. Wanda knew that her mother had been experiencing escalating troubles with her memory due to dementia. The more she thought about it and gathered clues. Wanda realized that her mother’s impaired memory was the answer to the question about why she was avoiding going downstairs.
Wanda’s Proactive Solution to Helping Her Mom
Armed with this understanding, Wanda could now take proactive steps to find a creative way to encourage her mother.
She put herself in her mother’s shoes. She started thinking about how confused and lost she would feel if she didn’t remember where to go. The best way to gain back some confidence in such a situation would be to re-familiarize yourself with your surroundings.
Knowing the reason behind the behavior, Wanda crafted a creative strategy of her own. Wanda took a picture of the downstairs dining room area and posted it on the back of the exit door of her mother’s suit. This will help provide some positive familiarity of what the downstairs look like.
Every time she would speak to her mother over the phone, she would prompt her to look at the back of the door and would tell her, “This is where you need to go for lunch.”
Offering her reassurance and a clear visual cue did the trick. Soon Wanda’s mother started looking forward to lunchtime. She was arriving on time for her meals and even started enjoying socializing with her friends around the table.
By asking the right questions needed in effective problem solving and thinking creatively. Wanda was able to help her mother feel more comfortable, confident and content in the space where she lives. 😊
*If you are caring for someone with dementia and could use some help with brainstorming strategies for addressing challenging dementia-related behaviours. Please call us at 1.888.502.1321 or send us an email at [email protected]. 😊
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