Jim’s short term memory is diminishing.

I know, that was a rather, “well, duh yeah” statement since he has dementia but over the past month or so, I’ve noticed another change.

There seem to be two types of repeated questions. 1) basic information that he forgets as soon as he hears the answer, such as, “What time is it?” and 2) answers that require a secondary thought process to understand, such as “Why does it give two dates for the appointment?” when he reads a date of March 26/21. He understands 26 is the date for the appointment, but has lost the comprehension that this is the year 2021 and that ’21’ represents the year.

Maybe I should have started this post with, “Jim’s comprehension is diminishing”

For instances like example #1 the repetition will continue until he forgets the question.

You can help to resolve examples like question#2. If you can find a way to answer his question that eliminates the need for a secondary thought process.  When you can find an answer he can understand, he’ll drop the topic. If you can’t, his fixation on getting an answer persists.

Unlike dealing with children, incomplete answers often work for dementia patients.

So for the question about the date, I first explained it was the year and then went on to explain how it was the year 2021 and the 21 was just how we wrote it. *insert annoying buzzer sound* – wrong. He put the appointment notification paper down, walked back, sat down on his chair, got up again and grabbed the paper off  the table again, and asked, “Why does it give two dates for the appointment?”

The third time though the repetition, I noticed that after I said, “It’s the year.” he started to go back to the table. Foolishly, I kept talking.

So on the fourth time through, I stopped after I said, It’s the year.” He said “Okay.” and put the paper back on the table and sat down… to stay. *ding ding ding* – we have a winner. He wasn’t looking to learn what year this was, he only needed an answer to what the second date was for.

The moral of the story, don’t overexplain. Don’t give more than one aspect of the answer unless they ask a follow-up question. Watch for physical cues to indicate they have the answer they were looking for.

Remember, most people with moderate to severe dementia can only concentrate on one concept at a time.

Pay attention to the question they are asking. It may not be the one you’re trying valiantly to answer.