brandi - we need more information. Is it you or your father who has the episode? Could you describe the episode and any major health issues the person has?
Birthday, hurricane, thanksgiving? Does he have things you want him to do that he is forgetting? Some people just prefer less activity and things to do. As we all get older we want life easier and less complicated, busy. Too much activity is stressful. I cant imagine a hurricane and the disorientation! Give us more detail.
Brandi, you have a common denominator now, so focus on that.
For the birthday(s) and holiday(s), don't even mention that they are special days, that it's his or someone else's birthday, or a holiday. Keep those voluminous piles of holiday junk mail away from him.
If you want to celebrate, keep it low key, limited people, and just tell him it's a good time to get together with family. Or, just have a get together with one part of the family at a time, not too many people, but if it doesn't upset him to be with more people than your immediate people, stretch it out, maybe one family gathering per month. And warn everyone not to discuss birthdays, weather events or holidays.
Weather events are a different story. I would try avoid discussing them, keep him from watching news or the weather channel. The catastrophic hurricanes of this year would unsettle anyone - they were devastating.
If he wants to watch tv, change it to comedies, old movies, musicals, animal channels and events....nothing upsetting. Or get some DVDs and play them during the hurricanes and frightening weather events.
Keep him occupied so he doesn't even know that tragedies are occurring during these violent weather episodes.
BTW, those hurricanes upset me. We don't live in a hurricane area, but we do occasionally lose power and have some powerful blizzards. I realized I need to develop an emergency plan which focuses on finding someplace with generators to power an oxygen concentrator if there's another power failure.
Another of my preparedness tasks (which I hadn't even thought of in terms of my father's needs until his power was out for several days) is to prepare a "go" bag. I'll be getting some small rolling luggage containers and pack them with whatever is needed for a week or so stay at a hotel or motel, assuming they have power. No power when someone needs oxygen 24/7 is a life threatening issue, but I couldn't find any medical facility that could offer help.
(One rehab center we had gone to even said they wouldn't take him for a few days' respite w/o a chest x-ray.)
If you can control the response by avoiding the issues, that might at least be a start.
brandi - I see in your profile that your father has Alzheimer's. If possible, prevention by avoiding stressors is good, as others have mentioned.Apart than that, calm him in any way possible - keep the environment calm, assure him verbally, distract him. If the episodes increase it would be good for him to see his doctor for an evaluation as regards any meds he is on. Teepa Snow has done a series of videos about dealing with Alz that most people find very helpful. I am sure it is very distressing for him and for you. ((((((hugs)))))
What do you mean by an "episode"? Many people who have dementia have fluctuations in their cognitive skills and behavior. Some types of dementia are more characterized by these fluctuations than other kinds, but I believe they do occur in most kinds of dementia. We generally refer to the fluctuations as "having a good day" or "having a bad spell" or "being more than usually confused."
When my husband had a "bad spell" that lasted more than hours I could pretty much predict that he would soon have a fever or show other symptoms of an illness. When he was particularly confused, not up to doing things he usually could do, excessively tired, I'd watch for other symptoms to develop. Respiratory illness, tummy upset, even constipation could cause "bad spells." They improved when the illness was cleared up. I'd call his pcp with the symptoms and she would provide advice over the phone.
I don't doubt that various kinds of stress could cause "bad spells" in someone who has dementia.
When people who don't have dementia -- don't have brains that are damaged by one kind of dementia or another -- have symptoms similar to dementia for brief periods, there is something else going on. My aunt lived to 100 and had no dementia. but she did have hallucinations and was terribly confused when she had a uti at one point. The uti was treated, cleared up, and the "dementia" symptoms went away.
True dementia does not come and go, but it may have more and less severe symptoms from time to time. Often the "bad spells" may be linked to an acute illness.
I would say the way to help one come out of any "temporary episodes of dementia-like symptoms" would be to have the person evaluated medically to determine the cause. When the cause is treated, the temporary symptoms are likely to subside.
Could you describe the "dementia episodes" your loved one has? That might help get more specific advice.
A dementia episode. My father n law is 82 and has had three episodes of dementia all brought on by his birthday, or a hurricane or now Thanksgiving. I’m trying to get him to come out of it and he is slowly. Just wondered if there was any advice on what to do to help him come back.
Brandi, could you describe what he's doing that makes you think dementia is to blame?
For the birthday(s) and holiday(s), don't even mention that they are special days, that it's his or someone else's birthday, or a holiday. Keep those voluminous piles of holiday junk mail away from him.
If you want to celebrate, keep it low key, limited people, and just tell him it's a good time to get together with family. Or, just have a get together with one part of the family at a time, not too many people, but if it doesn't upset him to be with more people than your immediate people, stretch it out, maybe one family gathering per month. And warn everyone not to discuss birthdays, weather events or holidays.
Weather events are a different story. I would try avoid discussing them, keep him from watching news or the weather channel. The catastrophic hurricanes of this year would unsettle anyone - they were devastating.
If he wants to watch tv, change it to comedies, old movies, musicals, animal channels and events....nothing upsetting. Or get some DVDs and play them during the hurricanes and frightening weather events.
Keep him occupied so he doesn't even know that tragedies are occurring during these violent weather episodes.
BTW, those hurricanes upset me. We don't live in a hurricane area, but we do occasionally lose power and have some powerful blizzards. I realized I need to develop an emergency plan which focuses on finding someplace with generators to power an oxygen concentrator if there's another power failure.
Another of my preparedness tasks (which I hadn't even thought of in terms of my father's needs until his power was out for several days) is to prepare a "go" bag. I'll be getting some small rolling luggage containers and pack them with whatever is needed for a week or so stay at a hotel or motel, assuming they have power. No power when someone needs oxygen 24/7 is a life threatening issue, but I couldn't find any medical facility that could offer help.
(One rehab center we had gone to even said they wouldn't take him for a few days' respite w/o a chest x-ray.)
If you can control the response by avoiding the issues, that might at least be a start.
Talk to his doc maybe an antidepressant, antianxiety drug would help.
He may have something else going on.
When my husband had a "bad spell" that lasted more than hours I could pretty much predict that he would soon have a fever or show other symptoms of an illness. When he was particularly confused, not up to doing things he usually could do, excessively tired, I'd watch for other symptoms to develop. Respiratory illness, tummy upset, even constipation could cause "bad spells." They improved when the illness was cleared up. I'd call his pcp with the symptoms and she would provide advice over the phone.
I don't doubt that various kinds of stress could cause "bad spells" in someone who has dementia.
When people who don't have dementia -- don't have brains that are damaged by one kind of dementia or another -- have symptoms similar to dementia for brief periods, there is something else going on. My aunt lived to 100 and had no dementia. but she did have hallucinations and was terribly confused when she had a uti at one point. The uti was treated, cleared up, and the "dementia" symptoms went away.
True dementia does not come and go, but it may have more and less severe symptoms from time to time. Often the "bad spells" may be linked to an acute illness.
I would say the way to help one come out of any "temporary episodes of dementia-like symptoms" would be to have the person evaluated medically to determine the cause. When the cause is treated, the temporary symptoms are likely to subside.
Could you describe the "dementia episodes" your loved one has? That might help get more specific advice.