People with Alzheimer’s or Dementia may ask to go home for many reasons. It is the
caregiver’s job to try and find out why they are asking.
Here are some common reasons:
· The person may
not believe they are in their home because they truly do not recognize it.
· Home to them
could mean their childhood home where they were comforted when they were afraid
or hurt.
· The person could
feel unsafe at the moment, or agitated.
· The person could
be physically uncomfortable.
·
He/she may need
to go to the bathroom, or want to go to “home” to their bedroom.
It
is important to tell your client the truth gently.
Some things that might help are:
·
Keep giving
exactly the same explanation about where they are.
·
Reassure and
comfort them.
·
Distract with
something pleasurable. One example could be taking them for a drive, and when
you get back to where you started, announce “We’re home.”
·
Another way to
distract could include listening to favorite music, so they get absorbed in a
pleasurable activity for a while.
·
Gently tell them
the truth and point out distinctive things they’ll remember (yard, specific
room, décor).
Pay
close attention to their body language and observe their reactions as you check
for any physical discomfort, or personal hygiene needs.
When
normal, familiar routines have been disrupted, this can create anxiety.
The
client could also be feeling lost, and are remembering the comfort of earlier
years.
As
the disease destroys more brain cells, the reality of what they see and feel
often blurs. They may start to mentally live in the past, and become unable to
connect to the present. Consequently, “home” may mean a place where they lived
long ago.
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