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posted by n1 on Sunday August 21 2016, @03:05AM   Printer-friendly
from the repeat-reassure-and-redirect dept.

The other day I was having a consult at the psychogeriatric ward of a local hospital. While we were discussing a CT scan of my father's brain, the psychiatrist mentioned that his ward was really aimed at reshaping disruptive behaviour -- like painting the bathroom with excrement -- of patients with dementia (pdf).

Thinking the conversation over, this sounds a bit like social engineering -- which makes me wonder: have other Soylentils been in a position where they've taken care of an elderly parent, and what psychological principles did you apply to moderate/shape behaviour?


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by hopp on Sunday August 21 2016, @04:05AM

    by hopp (2833) on Sunday August 21 2016, @04:05AM (#390875)

    As a spouse of a geriatrician and working in an Elders home as a teen here are the principles I know to use:

    1)Normalcy. If they are in a recognizable location they are more comfortable. Context helps the mind.

    2)Redirection. If they are being unreasonable about something redirect them in another direction.

    3)Degradation. An adult with moderate or worse dementia behaves as a toddler. Treat them with care you'd afford a three year old.

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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @04:09AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @04:09AM (#390877)

    Yeah but regarding point #3, the way I've always dealt with three year olds is by kicking them out of my way.

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @04:52AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @04:52AM (#390896)

    There's also work with playing music from when they were younger to try and get them into a better frame of mind (several programs regarding this).

    Using several visual cues so they don't get confused as often (picture they recognize on their room door). Keep them engaged in activities as much as possible.

    The other part is if they are not harming themselves or others, give 'em some space. Use to let a Ms. run around naked because she just didn't want to wear clothes.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Magic Oddball on Sunday August 21 2016, @06:38AM

    by Magic Oddball (3847) on Sunday August 21 2016, @06:38AM (#390924) Journal

    Regarding number 3: from too much first-hand experience, treating a senior parent like a toddler only works if it's in the "would you like X or Y" (e.g. giving limited choices so they feel at least minor control) psychological-tricks approach — if it's actually degrading, it will almost invariably make things worse.

    A doctor is already an authority figure (offspring almost never are) — a patient's far more likely to meekly obey a doctor than they will if treated similarly by their adult offspring, especially if the senior's mental state doesn't let them forcibly remind themselves to put up with it out of gratitude.

    Likewise, most elder-care facilities (aside from the absolute best) fill most of their non-medical (and even some medical) positions with whoever's desperate enough to do the work for minimum wage, which typically means people that can't get or keep another job. That's why places like that are well-known for high incidents of physical & emotional abuse. IOW, what you saw as a teen most likely wasn't a good example to follow.