There are numerous things that can help you to take care of your elderly loved one if they have Alzheimer’s disease. One of the things that you may want to do is to learn how to better handle it when they repeat themselves. The first thing to remember is that your elderly loved one doesn’t usually know they are doing it. They may have forgotten they said something. They may also be feeling overwhelmed and start repeating things because of that feeling. The good news is there are ways that you and home care providers can better handle this issue.

More Appropriate Responses

Sure, it can be frustrating to hear your elderly loved one repeat themselves time and time again. However, showing that irritation will likely make things worse. If your elderly loved one picks up on your irritation, this could stress them out. When they are stressed, they may repeat things more times than before. If you can focus on having more appropriate responses, it could help to reduce the amount of repetition your elderly loved one has. For example, if you catch yourself getting frustrated, take some deep breaths. Let your elderly loved one know you understand and that you will help in any way you can.

Using Distractions

Another way that you can handle repetition for your elderly loved one is to use distractions. Sometimes, people with this disease will repeat themselves because they get stuck on a certain thought. However, if you or a home care provider can get your elderly loved one to focus on something else, that could help them to stop repeating a thought or question about the previous thing they were focused on.

Using Direction

If your elderly loved one is repeating themselves, it may be because they really want a certain thing. If this is the case, it would help to use direction. For example, if your elderly loved one really wants to watch television, but they need to eat dinner first, you could sit with them while they are eating. One thing that often works to get people who are in the later stages of this to eat is to count the bites. After they eat a certain number of bites with your direction, they can watch television or get whatever else it is that they wanted.

Conclusion

Millions of people around the world have Alzheimer’s disease. Most of them will start with the repetition issue at some point. The good news is there are ways that you and home care providers can help to reduce this issue. You can start with the tips mentioned above.

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5426314/

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Ashburn, VA, please contact the caring staff at Assisting Hands today. (703) 782-3655