Dementia behavior

The image shows an older man, maybe Hispanic, wearing a straw hat and blue shirt with a white collar. His expression is contemplative and rather sad as he looks off into the distance.

Father’s Denial of Dementia Diagnosis Frustrates Daughter

Dear Carol: My dad’s been experiencing memory lapses and making sketchy decisions. I finally got him into a neurologist who diagnosed him with dementia,...

Understanding the Difference Between Lying and Confabulation in Dementia

Dear Carol: My mom burned pans when she cooked, got overdue notices on bills, and has become incontinent. Since she wasn’t safe living alone,...

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Humor Shared Among Caregivers Is Therapeutic

I once visited a caregiver friend and her mother, who had moderate Alzheimer’s disease. At one point during the visit, the mother abruptly stood...

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Why Does My Older Loved One Sleep All Day?

As people age, they tend to sleep more lightly than when they were younger. Waking up during the night due to achy joints or...

Closeup of a man's face. He has thinning brown hair mixed with gray and a graying beard and mustashe. He's looking at the camera with challenging eyes, seeming to question your reaction.

Dementia and Inappropriate Behavior: How to Respond

Dementia can cause people to say and do some pretty odd things. Family caregivers may be caught off guard at first, but as they...

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Elder Care Needs Can Change in an Instant

During the years I cared for multiple elders, I grew to dread the ringing of the telephone. It seemed most calls meant emergencies. One...

older, gray-haired man sitting at a table with younger man. The setting shows a room in a facility such as assisted living. Large windows appear in the background along with some foliage from a tree branch.

Do Parents Really Want to Live with Their Adult Children?

It’s difficult to pinpoint how many aging parents live with their adult children, but there is certainly a lot more interest in this type...

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Repetitive Questions in Dementia Stems from Memory Loss and Confusion

Dear Carol: My mother, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, repeats the same question multiple times an hour. I know that’s typical behavior with...

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What to Do When Someone with Dementia Repeats the Same Things Over and Over

One sign of the aging brain is repeating things more often, especially stories and questions. There are reasons for this that are not related...

The image background shows an indoor room, probably a bedroom with decorative pillows. Foreground is a sitting older man looking dignified with his white hair and relaxed pose. He's wearing a maroon sweater with a front zipper. We see a blue and white shirt collar above the zip. His hands are folded in front of him and he leans on a chair arm with his right elbow.

Are People with Advanced Dementia Aware of Their Surroundings?

Even among medical experts, you will find differing opinions on how much someone with advanced dementia of any type understands. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in...