What can change with dementia?
If you’re taking care of someone with dementia, you may notice changes in their behaviour and how they react to things.
Find out more about what can change with dementiaThinking and planning
People with dementia can experience changes to their day-to-day ability to think and plan clearly.
If you notice the person you care for having trouble carrying out simple everyday tasks, it might be due to a cognitive problem. They may get confused or frustrated and start feeling anxious. It can be very distressing seeing the person you are caring for getting frustrated and upset. There are simple things you can do to help, which will help you to cope too. Lorraine Haining, Specialist Dementia Nurse, Dementia Carers Count
Dementia can impact thinking and planning skills
Thinking and planning skills can be impacted by dementia. This is because dementia can cause changes to the frontal lobe of the brain, the area responsible for planning, problem solving and reasoning.
Losing executive control causes anxiety
Executive control is our ability to think, to plan, to control and to judge different situations. We need executive control for physical tasks like driving or making a cup of tea or getting dressed in the morning.
We also need executive control for social situations. When we interact with others, we use executive control to judge how we should behave in a situation. We take in information from other people to understand what they are trying to say to us.
Having reduced executive control can create anxiety because you become unsure of what to do next or what order to do things in. This is a challenge for the person with dementia and also for the person caring for them.
Losing thinking and planning skills can lead to frustration and distress
Watching the person you care for become frustrated as they find every day tasks or interactions difficult can be distressing.
An individual’s ability to carry out tasks may vary from day-to-day or week-to-week, and even hour by hour.
How to help with thinking and planning
Simple strategies can be useful in helping the person you care for to deal with everyday tasks and challenges.
Discover simple strategies to help with thinking and planning
To correct or not to correct
It can be hard deciding if you should correct a person with dementia. It can be worth asking yourself ‘does it matter?’
Find out more about whether you should correct someone with dementiaRead Next
Help and Information
Looking after yourself
Dealing with the emotions and feelings that come with being a carer can be difficult and confusing, but looking after yourself is important
Carer Support Services
Dementia carer support groups
Get the opportunity to talk with and listen to other carers, in our small, friendly dementia carer online peer support groups
Coping with your emotions
Feeling guilty
Feeling guilty can have a big impact on your well-being and it’s important to practice being kinder to yourself.
