Mar 7, 2014

Why do dementia patients ask the same questions over and over?

Alzheimer's patient often ask the same questions over and over. Repetition and Alzheimer's is a big problem for Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers.

Alzheimer's patient often ask the same questions over and over. Why?
by Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

You should ask yourself,
  • Does the repetition occur around certain people?
  • Does the repetition occur in certain surroundings?
  • Does the repetition occur at a certain time during the day?
  • Does the repetition occur around sundown?
  • Is the person trying to communicate something beyond the obvious when this behavior occurs?

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A Bing keyword search by a reader lead to the recommendation of this article from the

Alzheimer's Reading Room

Learning How to Communicate with Someone Living with Alzheimer's

I suggest you take the time to read or reread this article. I put a great deal of time and thought into it.

Excerpt from the article:

One thing that drives Alzheimer's caregivers crazy is repetitive questions and repetitive behavior. I know this from the number of emails I receive on this issue, and the number of comments we get on the issue.

It is clear to me that a large fraction of patients with Alzheimer's disease ask the same things over and over, and do the same thing over and over. I understand how disconcerting this can be -- I was there once upon a time.

It took me a long time to understand this repetitive behavior and adjust to it. I am looking at my Leonardo da Vinci pad and some of my bunkhouse notes.

One question I asked myself, why am I allowing this behavior to drive me crazy?

I know its going to continue to happen everyday until I figure out how to do something about it.

Why can't I accept that this is part of the reality of living with someone who has Alzheimer's disease?

Why can't I accept this as a "normal" part of everyday living with Alzheimer's?

What can I do about it?


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Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room