Speaking Dementia - Thought of the Day (Part III)
By Stan Goldberg, Ph.d. | Submitted On February 06, 2015
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Expert Author Stan Goldberg, Ph.d.
Who would think there is anything humorous about Dementia? Most people who experience it or their caregivers wouldn't. But humor and improvisation may be a key element to reducing anxiety and creating joy for both you and your loved one.
In Part I of this series I discussed some of the facts and myths about Alzheimer's and dementia. In Part II I presented five simple strategies for making concrete the internal rules dementia patients may have problems accessing. In this final part, I'll present an alternative way of interacting based on the principles of improvisational comedy. Stop Correcting My third-grade teacher's main goal in life was to correct every mistake I made--from how I wrote my name to how I drank my milk. It wasn't a joyful year for me. Before I said anything, I wondered how she would respond. I saw the same type of interactions as a hospice volunteer watching paid and family caregivers of dementia patients. "No, Laura, today is not Tuesday. Don't you remember you have your bath on Tuesdays? You had a bath yesterday, right? So yesterday was Tuesday. Isn't that true?" Laura shook her head, and I'm sure she didn't know what she agreed to. And if she did, the correction did little than make her realize how joyless life became. Truth is Overrated There is a belief it's important for people with dementia to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. …show more content…
Caregivers assume correcting a person's misperceptions reduces confusion. I believe the importance of honesty with dementia patients is over-rated, and the need to bring them "back to reality" may be detrimental to their happiness.
Truth is valuable when there is symmetry between the worlds in which people live. For example, it would be important my wife and I have a similar understanding of what happened at a family gathering. But what if our worlds are different? If my mind was intact and she suffered from memory deficits and a deteriorating executive functioning? Why is it important to correct her account of whether it was Uncle George rather than Aunt Audrey who made the insulting comment?
These are the types of inaccuracies corrected hundred's of times a day with dementia patients. What is the purpose of becoming my third-grade teacher if the errors aren't dangerous? Unnecessary corrections do little other than reinforce the realization dementia is taking away even simple abilities.
Improvisation and Fantasy Researchers at the Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine are testing whether unscripted theater games can affect the well-being of dementia patients. I know it has a positive effect. A friend of mine rarely corrects her mother's factual errors. Instead, they engage in a banter that stays in the present, creating fantasies and often comedic exchanges. "I'm going to live until I'm a hundred," her mother said. Her daughter's response was, "OK, Mom, but that's it!" They both laughed, then constructed scenarios of what she
By Stan Goldberg, Ph.d. | Submitted On February 06, 2015
Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest
Expert Author Stan Goldberg, Ph.d.
Who would think there is anything humorous about Dementia? Most people who experience it or their caregivers wouldn't. But humor and improvisation may be a key element to reducing anxiety and creating joy for both you and your loved one.
In Part I of this series I discussed some of the facts and myths about Alzheimer's and dementia. In Part II I presented five simple strategies for making concrete the internal rules dementia patients may have problems accessing. In this final part, I'll present an alternative way of interacting based on the principles of improvisational comedy. Stop Correcting My third-grade teacher's main goal in life was to correct every mistake I made--from how I wrote my name to how I drank my milk. It wasn't a joyful year for me. Before I said anything, I wondered how she would respond. I saw the same type of interactions as a hospice volunteer watching paid and family caregivers of dementia patients. "No, Laura, today is not Tuesday. Don't you remember you have your bath on Tuesdays? You had a bath yesterday, right? So yesterday was Tuesday. Isn't that true?" Laura shook her head, and I'm sure she didn't know what she agreed to. And if she did, the correction did little than make her realize how joyless life became. Truth is Overrated There is a belief it's important for people with dementia to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. …show more content…
Caregivers assume correcting a person's misperceptions reduces confusion. I believe the importance of honesty with dementia patients is over-rated, and the need to bring them "back to reality" may be detrimental to their happiness.
Truth is valuable when there is symmetry between the worlds in which people live. For example, it would be important my wife and I have a similar understanding of what happened at a family gathering. But what if our worlds are different? If my mind was intact and she suffered from memory deficits and a deteriorating executive functioning? Why is it important to correct her account of whether it was Uncle George rather than Aunt Audrey who made the insulting comment?
These are the types of inaccuracies corrected hundred's of times a day with dementia patients. What is the purpose of becoming my third-grade teacher if the errors aren't dangerous? Unnecessary corrections do little other than reinforce the realization dementia is taking away even simple abilities.
Improvisation and Fantasy Researchers at the Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine are testing whether unscripted theater games can affect the well-being of dementia patients. I know it has a positive effect. A friend of mine rarely corrects her mother's factual errors. Instead, they engage in a banter that stays in the present, creating fantasies and often comedic exchanges. "I'm going to live until I'm a hundred," her mother said. Her daughter's response was, "OK, Mom, but that's it!" They both laughed, then constructed scenarios of what she