Can I Go Home?
- Private group -
Tue, 04/25/2017 - 2:20pm
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 our 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.
