Why Do People With ALz Dementia “hoard” and Pick Up Things and Sometimes Can’t Help Taking Small Items?
Sunday, August 15th, 2010 at
2:37 am
Zocuisa asked:
Why do some people with Alzheimer’s Dementia “hoard” or collect things either from the streets/garbage bins or take from other people’s stuffs(without permission)—most of them, they don’t even use or need? What can be done to help them stop or at least diminish this behavior? Thanks.
Tagged with: Garbage Bins • Hoard • Why Do People
Filed under: Alzheimers
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Im a demetia care specialist so i see LOTS and LOTS of this.
Its sad disease…you really need to understand it. Basically someone with alzhiemers, the brain is literally shrinking! therefore parts of their brain are just gone, and they are unable to get that back. Usually they go back to stages in life where they have the mental capacity of a 4 year old.
So think of a 4 yr old…4 yr olds like to “take things” and play with small things…and think EVERYTHING is theres correct?!? maybe even 3, whatever! But there really isnt anything you can do as in “training” them not to do that because they are loosing their short term memory. Someone with TRUE alzhiemers has ABOUT 6 minutes of memory depending on the stage they are at. So if you were tro train someone with alzehimers, they would forget it.
the best hting you can do is give them other things to play with….We have alot of “kiddie toys” like Play-dough, puzzles, coloring books…things like that to keep them stimulated. maybe if you see them hoarding something replace it with something else they can keep busy with like a puzzle. Remember, they are like a young child…usually they need to keep busy.