Here is our first question for the Digital Support Group. Readers, I hope you will jump in and offer some ideas to a fellow caregiver. If you would prefer not to answer directly, you can send your response to me and I will post it (Kay @ MemoryBanc . com ). I know we may venture into things that feel uncomfortably personal.
Q: Mom’s wearing the same clothes over and over, is that a sign of dementia?
While it might be, any change in behavior should start with a visit to the doctor. As I found, my parents couldn’t recognize they were having cognitive issues. It has its own medical term: Anosognosia. It affects up to 81% of people with Alzheimer’s and some studies show up to 77% of patients suffer anosognosia after a stroke. It also took me more than 3 doctor’s over the course of two years to finally get a diagnosis for my parents.
Mom might not realize she is wearing the same clothes over-and-over.
Both of my parents had periods when they were still fighting to manage without help where they would repeatedly wear the same clothes. I tried to find duplicates of popular items so I could swap in clean options for them to wear.
How about it readers. Have you faced this and do you have any advice for a fellow caregiver?