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It May Not Be What It Seems: Don't Assume Confused Senior Has Alzheimer's

By: Kansas Advocates for Better Care

(9/7/2006) When friends or family members appear to be so confused that they need assistance with daily activities, don’t automatically assume they have Alzheimer’s disease. This level of confusion may also be called dementia.

Dementia is a general term of symptoms applied to several diseases or medical conditions. These symptoms could include a change in an individual’s orientation, ability to remember, reasoning and judgment. Ability to learn new information, personality, language skills and a person’s perception can also be affected.

There are a number of diseases that can have dementia symptoms including depression, Parkinson’s disease, Crutzfelt-Jakob’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Alzheimer’s’ is the most common.

There are also medical conditions that can cause dementia symptoms. Among them:

Medications – The person could be experiencing an adverse drug reaction to current prescribed or over the counter medications and supplements.

Infections

Dehydration – This could be the result of insufficient fluid intake and/or diarrhea, vomiting or fever.

Poor appetite

Fluctuating blood sugar

Thyroid dysfunction

Loss of hearing or sight

Head injuries

Many of these conditions can be treated. Encourage your friends or family members to schedule a doctor’s appointment. A thorough diagnostic workup is important to determine the causes of the dementia symptoms.

The longer treatable medical conditions go unrecognized, the more difficult it is to treat them. If the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease, there is medical, legal and financial planning that should be initiated immediately.

The manner in which you communicate with the person with dementia symptoms is also very important to their well-being. The following suggestions will promote effective communication:

Treat the confused person as an adult and with respect.

Approach in a calm manner.

Do not argue, confront or correct.

Maintain eye contact when talking with the person.

Keep all directions simple, speak slowly, clearly and use short sentences.

Do not talk about the person in front of them as if they were not there.

Be patient; a person with dementia may take longer to perform daily activities.