Caregiver Distressed That Wife Living at Home Still Wants to ‘Go Home’
Dear Carol: My wife of over 40 years has Alzheimer’s disease and I care for her at home. While I’ve worked to become educated about dementia care, I’ve hit a wall. At random times, she’ll nervously pace the floor, insisting that she wants to go home. How do I convince her that this is the only home she’s known for decades? I can answer most repeated questions, but this one is about to break me. – DF
Dear DF: I’m so sorry that you’re going through this heartbreaking phase of dementia care. What’s happening? Years ago, it was thought that people with dementia felt drawn back to their childhood home. More recently, that idea has been replaced by the theory that the person is asking for relief from unmet needs. The reasoning is that the word home…
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