Dementia family member & Theft

Bigsis

I would be very interested to know if anyone has found any - even short term - "tricks", methods, remedies to a dementia family member stealing. It was be sunglasses from a family member or just out in the open someone's personal item on a table when they aren't looking. Not ill-meaning or strategic, simply can't help it.

Conversations go nowhere because he usually can't remember them, but we are STARVING for any advice, suggestions, remedies, hints….

Thank you so much!!

ButterflyWings

Keeping things out of his way, is the only way. Line of sight supervision 24/7 becomes necessary for a wide range of reasons as dementias progress.

It is easier to intercept and redirect before my LO picks something up, and this has been a fairly constant task for 5-6 years. Every waking hour. Every day.

Sorry. As you say, they can’t help it. That’s our job now. We have to adapt since they cannot.

M1

Agree. You have to keep anything of any importance out of their way. They pick up any object not recognizing it for what it is (this is called agnosia) and will squirrel things away with no rhyme or reason. This is part of what makes it very difficult to keep a loved one with dementia in a normal home environment. You have to dementia-proof everything, just as you would for a toddler only more so. Constant supervision is the only answer, or moving them to a controlled environment.

harshedbuzz

@Bigsis

Hi and welcome. I am sorry for your reason to be here, but pleased you found this place.

You'll find a lot of information with general information explaining how dementia impacts a mind and personality as well as strategies to manage safety and behavior and staging tools to help follow the inevitable progression of the disease to be prepared for what's next.

New Caregiver Help — ALZConnected

It seems overkill to call this theft given that mens rea requires more cognition than a PWD would have.

Two thoughts come to mind. This could be a manifestation of hunting and gathering behavior. Usually in the mid stages, a PWD might have a compulsion to put things away perhaps for safekeeping or even to be useful around the house. In MCFs this behavior is often referred to as shopping.

Rule one of Dementia Fight Club is to not try to reason with a person who has a broken reasoner. It's best to secure important items— locked rooms and cabinets are your friend here and supervise. If something is taken, it's best to wait and spirit it away while the PWD is otherwise distracted.

HB

Iris L.

Soon your LO may start eating or drinking non-edibles! All the more reason to keep dangerous chemicals, cleaning solutions and the like, away.

Iris