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DiscussionDementia: Just diagnosed and scared
Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: Nov 13, 2023 | Replies (77)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "When he doesn't recognize me as me, I have often felt a very deep pain in..."
@barbbie I feel for you. That is hard to accept. I was wondering if when he asks you where you are, if you could tell him that you'll go get her, then step away and come right back and say " You were asking for me? Here I am! " That would let him think that he's OK and hadn't made a mistake. I think for him, it must be traumatic if he realized he's made a mistake, or if someone tries to correct him, and he doesn't understand. To him, it probably doesn't matter how you respond as far as your identity. I remember visiting my father in law in a dementia ward of a nursing home, and the staff was having him sing Jingle Bells. They asked him, and he sang Jingle Bells for us by himself. That is a good memory and it was fun. It's not something he would have normally done, but he was able to freely enjoy it. He was kind of like a little kid at that point enjoying the attention, and I always looked for ways to make him feel good and like he was still in control of his life.