Louisa

Some time back, I wrote a piece about a lady who has stealing sweeteners, napkins, etc., from the dining room; newspapers from the library and halls. She continues to this day even though they solved the library problem by subscribing to two dailies. And she is a sweet little old man-crazy lady with more money than I would know what to do with.

Several professional friends told me that they had seen the same hoarding go on in their families. It seems to be a symptom of dementia.

The latest rumor is that she is disposing of the evidence by throwing it off her 10th floor balcony.

They just cannot catch the culprit, whoever it may be.

AsA

-----Original Comment-----

How is it that persons who have signs of dementia are still able to some how fool others to keep their identities a secret. Does that say something about them or us? I wonder about the concept of dementia in her. Maybe she secretly is sane and likes throwing us off. I may want to be that way. She's also been married several times, so maybe her lust for chasing the men has always been around, just fewer takers now.

-----Response to Comment-----

Well, you sent me on a search to refresh my memory. Learned a new term: Pseudo-dementia. You may be right and she is faking for the attention it gives. Anywho, here is an article I found about the true symptoms.

Caregiver Factors Linked to Patient's Dementia Symptoms
FRIDAY, June 2 (HealthDay News) -- Caregiver factors may influence the frequency of behavioral problems, such as wandering, hallucinations and restlessness, in patients with dementia, a new report finds.

Researchers found a rise in these symptoms in patients whose caregivers were young, less educated, overburdened or depressed, according to a U.S. study in the May issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The study included nearly 6,000 dementia patients living in the community and their caregivers. Nearly half the caregivers were the patients' spouses, and 31 percent were daughters or daughters-in-law. Constant restlessness, constant talkativeness, hallucinations, paranoia, episodes of unreasonable anger, combativeness, danger to self, danger to others, destruction of property, repetitive questions, wandering, and waking the caregiver were the behavioral symptoms assessed in the study.

Caregivers, who were younger, less educated, more depressed, more burdened, or who spent more hours per week giving care reported more behavioral symptoms in patients. The youngest caregivers reported 50 percent more of these behaviors than the oldest caregivers.

"These symptoms are part of the disease, and the caregivers aren't causing them, but certain styles of care giving may bring them out. Our study identified characteristics of caregivers that are linked to these difficult behaviors," study author Dr. Kaycee Sink, an assistant professor of gerontology at Wake Forest University of School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, N.C., said in a prepared statement.

A better understanding of the association between caregiver characteristics and dementia patient behaviors could lead to more effective treatment.

"These results are consistent with the idea that caregiver characteristics, including their emotional state, could contribute to neuropsychiatric (behavioral) symptoms in dementia patients. For example, it is possible that caregivers who are burdened may be irritable and demonstrate less patience, which could provoke the symptoms," Sink said.

Behavioral symptoms are the leading reason why families place dementia patients in nursing homes. The symptoms make it too difficult to care for the patient at home.

"We're not trying to blame the caregivers but to better understand the complex puzzle," Sink said. "If we focus only on the patient, we're not going to solve the problem. We need to develop better, non-drug treatments to handle these behaviors, and more tailored caregiver education may be one answer."

-- Robert Preidt


AsA
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