The Role of Confabulation and Rejection in Dementia Care

The stories that people with dementia confabulate can be funny, interesting, and sometimes ridiculous.By Rachael WonderlinAlzheimer's Reading RoomIt is hard, for so many people, to just “go along” with what their loved one with dementia says.Many caregivers struggle with the idea that they must embrace the reality of the person with dementia, so, instead, they reject it.Alzheimer's Dementia Accusations and Fractured Fairy TalesBy saying things like, “Mom, that’s not true, your parents are dead,” or, “Dad, you aren’t going to work today, remember? You retired 15 years ago!”we reject a person ’s story.Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading - This is a Free Service - Join NowEmbracing that story—and enjoying it— are two incredibly important pieces topositive dementia care.A few years ago I was caring for a woman in her own home. Marie was in her early 90s and had dementia. While she was able to recount the distant past quite well, her memory of the recent past was fuzzy —and sometimes altogetherinaccurate.Embracing the Reality of a Person Living with Dementia“He visited me today,” Marie offered one morning, pointing at the television screen. I looked at the TV and saw President Obama giving a speech.“The President was here, ” she explained happily.Of course, this was just not true. The President had obviously not been to Marie ’s house that morning, or ever, for that matter.That was not the point, though. Even though I knew her story was not truei...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: Confabulating Confabulation dementia confusion confabulation dementia care dementia symptoms memory care Source Type: blogs